More than a highschool romance
by Sine amore nihil est vita
Summary: It's Alice's final year & she is praying that a certain someone will ask her out. Alice and her cousin soon find themselves in a world of stress, love & Marauder's meddling. Surely this will be the best year ever. Alice/Frank. Sirius/OC. James/Lily. OC/OC
1. Birthday presents

**I disclaim.**

**The purpose of stories are to take you away from reality and catapult you into another world so sit back and enjoy the world of Hogwarts, in a different generation.**

* * *

It was the 8 th of August and Alice was roused from a dreamless state by the sounds of her parents charging up the staircase and singing happy birthday. They burst into their daughters room with a giant chocolate cake topped with seventeen candles.

"Mum dad it's 6.30 in the morning, can't you come back later?" Alice whined as she drew her duvet over her head but it was soon whipped off. The early morning sun burned Alice's eyes and all she could see was an intense white light as she rubbed the tiredness from them.

They both held her cake out for her. "But darling this is the EXACT time you were born!" Her parents said in a sing- song voice. Alice tried to suppress a smile as she sat up. The tiny silver candles were beautiful she noted as each of them burned a different colour of the rainbow.

"Make a wish," Sophia squealed and Alice replied with an answering scoff, since her mum was speaking to her like she was still a little child who actually believed in such silly traditions.

"Then why am I squeezing my eyes so tight," Alice thought and just then she remembered that this was her last year at Hogwarts and a wish came immediately. In one puff she extinguished all the flames and watched as small wisps of smoke rose from the black wicks.

"Thanks mum and dad," Alice told them sincerely as they kissed her goodbye and left with her cake.

"Come down whenever you want so you can open your presents." Sophia told Alice as she shut the door.

Alice flopped back onto her pillows and stared up at the ceiling as the true realization hit her, that she would be _leaving _school and entering the real world. Everyone was going to go their separate ways and she wondered if the friends she had made would keep in touch and how about all those people whom she had wished she had got to know…well… just one person in particular…

Alice shook herself free from her melancholic thoughts. "Stop it," she chastised herself as she jumped out of bed and walked into her ensuite bathroom. After freshening up, Alice took her rightful place which was sitting on her bay window so she could stare down at the is until she spotted a flock of owls soaring her way. In an instant Alice threw open her window and they all came hurtling inside, screeching and burdened with various sizedpackages wrapped in colourful paper.

"Olly…," Alice warned her Birman cat as he jumped up and clawed at the air, narrowly missing two twin owls which had perched themselves on her desk chair. "You can't play with them."

She started fondly at her cat with his sweet little chocolate brown ears and face, with his bright blue eyes and pale white coat. Alice didn't understand why most of the students at Hogwarts bought owls after all they did have owls at school and she had a family owl to send letters. Surely it made more sense to get an animal that was more fun to take with you to school?

A screech from her right brought Alice back to reality. "Sorry," she apologized to the irritated owl that was pecking away at the string wrapped securely around its leg. Alice felt her heart swell as she made her way around the room untying all her presents from the owls who immediately took off once they were free, but she paused in front of the grey birds on her chair

"_Hmmm…" _Alice didn't recognize who they belonged to but despite her confusion she quickly removed the package.

Alice held the rectangular present in both off her hands. "_Wow it's got some weight to it,_" she thought.

Yet her curiosity was further fuelled by the very fact that there was not a card with the present or even the name of the person who should be credited for the gift…nothing.

A mixture of excitement and anxiousness welled up inside Alice's stomach as she ignored the other packages on her bed and sat back on her window with the mystery that was wrapped in turquoise paper. With a sense of caution she slowly tore away at the wrapping paper and her eyebrows knitted together as she turned over the leather bound book and saw the title written in gold.

"Success in Potions..," she muttered out loud, "Eh?" Alice wasn't the least bit enthralled as she turned the heavy book around and around in her hands. True, she loved to read and didn't mind receiving books, but to get a school book as a birthday present…

But when Alice opened the front page her breath was caught in her throat as she spotted the black ink on the empty front page.

**THIS WILL HELP YOU GET THE GRADES YOU WANT FOR THE SUBJECT THAT YOU LOVE BUT JUST FIND DIFFICULT.**

Her heart melted like butter as she re- read the words, whoever had sent her this book knew her _very _well…almost as well as her cousin Jane. The writing was defiantly by a guy Alice noted as she studied the phrase. "_It's so scruffy how could it not be a boy's_?"Alice mused. The block capital letters seemed to have a weight to them as if the writer had been pressing quite hard on the quill.

"Hmmm who do think it's from Olly?" she asked her cat as he rubbed his head across her leg.

However within ten minutes the intrigue soon faded into annoyance as Alice found that her lips were pressed tightly together. She continued to search her brain for the person who could be behind such a thoughtful gift but she could only come up with her family…

Alice chewed her lower lip. "But their presents are on my bed," she wailed, throwing the book onto her bed as the mystery began too eat away at her.

"Hmm…maybe it would be better for my sanity if I just focus on my other presents," she thought whilst wondering how she had managed to get so frustrated so easily._ I just really want to thank that person_…_oh_. Alice tore open a brown parcel to find a knitted emerald green scarf fall out and to her amazement it was from her grandmother, which was odd because it was so beautiful. The next few presents were all from her school friends which were all just as nice but she was looking for the gift from a particular cousin/best friend of hers.

Alice found it nestled in coral red tissue and with her heart expanding she picked up the photo frame which held a picture of both her and Jane when they were six years old, caked in chocolate and throwing flour at each other. Alice felt her smile grow as the picture dissolved and was replaced by another and then another and the frame was like a slideshow of treasured memorises. Half an hour seemed to pass and still Alice sat contented as she watched photo number 100 appear.

"Darling,.." Alice's head shot up as she heard her mum. "Have you forgotten about us?"

"No no no…," Alice shouted as she stumbled towards the door, trying to avoid the wrapping paper that now littered her bedroom floor. "I'm coming."


	2. The train and Jane

**Love Song of the day: Snow patrol - You could be happy **

**(Seriously check it out- it's so heartbreakingly beautiful)**

* * *

The time had come for Alice to embark upon the last year of her education and this is how she found herself wheeling her trolley, which held her trunk and a very restless Olly perched on top, towards the all too familiar brick wall between platforms 9 and 10. Her parents had said their goodbyes at the car since Alice had insisted that she was now old enough to go through the barrier by herself. Well, she had been trying to explain this to them ever since she had entered second year.

"Ah parents," she thought fondly, yet a hint of annoyance jumped into a small corner of her mind since Alice had always been irritated by their overprotective nature.

The station was alive with commuters but she knew full well that platform 9 ¾ would be _far _more busy and with that in mind she began to pick up her pace and jogged through the barrier without so much as hesitating. As soon as Alice emerged on the other side of the wall she became lost in a sea of students and parents. The scene in front of her was truly fantastic. The magnificent Hogwarts train, pillar box red in colour, stood to attention by the edge of platform, puffing out streams of smoke like an angry dragon whilst it waited for the students to board.

There was a definite air of excitement and constant chatter as well as the sounds of owls, cats and frogs all mixing together to produce a buzz which seemed to heighten everyone's energy. Alice watched, intrigued as some parents fussed over their children whilst others nagged and the parents of the first years were generally consoling their anxious children (though in some cases the reassuring was done by the children to their uneasy mothers). Yet as her eyes travelled through the throngs of people, she zoned in on one person in particular and his face caused her heart to stop. Alice's instinct was to shout out "Frank!" as she caught a glimpse of him.

Frank stood beside the train, bantering with James Potter and the rest of his gang. Alice stood there paralyzed as her heart started beating unusually quickly and she knew it was ridiculous, to be affected this badly by a person just by looking at them.

Luckily her state of panic was broken by a familiar voice shouting "Oi Alice," and in response Alice whipped her head around and spotted her cousin immediately.

Alice screamed and ran towards Jane who did the same. When they reached one another, they both embraced tightly, screaming whilst jumping up and down and not even caring that people had turned to stare.

Jane's father appeared into view, holding his ears. "Alright girls please stop or I'll go deaf," he complained and Alice just laughed before hugging her uncle as well.

He smiled down at her. "Okay come on you two please board the train now and then me and Eleanor can _hang out _with your parents," he told Alice who cringed slightly at his attempt at being a "cool" parent.

However just then the warning whistle blew and Alice hurriedly grabbed her abandoned trolley and followed Jane's dad who was ushering them onto the train whilst he passed them their luggage. Olly hissed at being moved and Alice knew all too well that he hated being cooped up for too long. Yet her attention was caught by Jane, who was smuggling a broom past her which Alice deduced was hers.

The goodbyes were quite quick and the two Gryffindor girls both managed to find an empty . compartment and hauled their luggage inside and stowed them in the holders, all before the final whistle rang out and the train jolted forward.

"Phew," Alice puffed out as she settled herself against the padded velvet seats. "Thanks for my birthday present." she added which caused Jane to grin and shake her head.

By now the station had disappeared and was replaced by the rolling hills of the countryside and the smell of freshly mowed grass, drifted through the open window but unfortunately so did the manure.

"Hey Darcy," Jane cooed as she let her Turkish Angora out of his cage. Alice looked on as Jane stroked her cat lovingly and Alice cast her mind back to the day when her cousin had bought Darcy. She had spotted him at the back of the store and since he had one bright blue eye and the other an orangey- gold ,many had felt that the cat harboured some sort of dark magic or was an omen - and Jane being Jane took pity on Darcy at the rest is history. Alice chuckled softly as Jane had explained how she came about naming him and it was when she read an old fashioned Muggle book where the character called Darcy was considered very handsome.

From the corner of the room Olly gave Alice his sad eyes and she laughed as she set him free and he agilely jumped onto her lap.

"So…anything interesting happened to you?" Jane asked and just then Alice was reminded of her new book.

"Well…"


	3. You know it's rude to stare

**LOVE SONG OF THE DAY: The Orange lights - Let the love back in again**

* * *

The night was awfully humid and Alice found herself quickly shrugging off her cloak as the layers of her school uniform began to stick to her body. She and Jane both sat in contented silence as their carriage was pulled along by the invisible threstals. As they continued up the steep ascent their school came into view.

_Ah Hogwarts_. The castle was perched upon a steep cliff like a watch tower, proud and magnificent with light spilling out from the hundred or so windows. A beacon of magic, shrouded in mysteries that would take a life time to discover. Melancholy thoughts seized Alice's mind as she gazed fondly at the place that she had come to call her home away from home. _I'm going to miss this place _

Alice found herself gazing enviously at the black lake as a fleet of small boats were slicing through the murky water. For a moment she wished that she was one of those first years because they still had seven years of school left.

Soon enough though the carriage had come to a complete stop at the entrance of Hogwarts and Alice nudged her cousin as she spotted a group of Gryffindor girls all laughing and fooling around.

"Hazel, Charlotte, Grace!" she shouted, grabbing the attention of her friends.

Jane and Alice both ran up to the three girls. They all hugged each other one by one before following the stream of students who were already climbing up the stairs.

"Why were you guys not on the train?" Jane asked, ignoring Peeves's insults as he floated past.

Charlotte glared at the ghost . "Well I came back late from my holidays…," she told them before pointing at Grace and Hazel, who were smiling sheepishly. "And they…well they just slept in."

"Typical," Alice coughed and they all broke into laughter.

However as they reached the grand doors of the great hall a large crowd had formed, blocking their advances. Alice jumped up and down as could barely see over the heads of some fifth year boys who were standing in front of her.

"They must still be getting ready," Hazel commented.

The delay seemed to suit most of the students who were all forming their own private circles consisting of their close friends. Yet the Slytherin's just glared at everyone else as they slinked off into a dark corner of the hallway effectively isolating themselves.

Charlotte had started to tell Alice and Jane about her adventures in Egypt but half way through Alice zoned out because she had just spotted Frank running up the stairs, Sirius and James not far off.

Alice gasped as her eyes swept over Frank and luckily he was too busy to notice her stare.

She began to swallow excessively when he started to laugh as it show cased his perfect, white teeth and dimples

Alice mentally measured herself against Longbottom; she barely came up too his chest. _He must be at least six foot tall now_.

Frank's fitted, crisp white shirt allowed Alice to catch a glimpse of his impressive chest and she blushed as inappropriate thoughts floated into her mind. She quickly shook them away before her entire face turned red. He was also incredibly tanned and Alice deduced that he had spent most of his summer abroad.

"It suits him," Alice noted.

Unknowingly though she found herself becoming increasingly jealous as she imagined girls parading around in their skimpy swim wear in front of him.

She shook her head, furiously. _He's not with you._

"You know it is rude to stare Miss Taylor," came an all too familiar, stern voice. Alice jumped around to see that Professor McGonagall was standing right behind her.

Alice started down at her shoes. "Sorry," she mumbled, blushing.

Alice swore that she caught a glimpse of amusement in the deputy headmistress's eyes as she moved to stand in front of the swelling crowd.

"Come on now sort yourselves into your respective houses and stand in single file," Professor McGonagall shouted over the buzz of chatter.

Alice slapped her palm against her forehead. _I have never been this __**mortified**__ in my entire life!_


	4. Great feast

Love song: **S****trange and beautiful - aqualung**

* * *

Being in their last year, Alice and Jane entered the great hall last and had to take whatever seats were free. This meant that they were separated from their friends by a large group of sixth years.

Just as they had both sat down, irritated by their seating arrangement, they heard a male voice call out for Jane.

Alice tried hard to suppress a grin as she spotted William. [He had been responsible for Jane's blushes for about two years now.]

William, with his dark black hair coupled with his piercing ocean, blue eyes made for quite a striking image and with a slight brooding demeanour about him it did not come as a surprise to know that nearly every girl in his house fancied him.

"_But he's nothing compared to Frank." _Alice thought, absent-mindedly as she saw the colour rise in her cousins cheeks.

He was surrounded by his friends and upon watching them Alice realized it was Christopher, his best friend, who had shouted for he was looking mighty pleased with himself.

William smiled apologetically at Jane who waved, before shying away from his gaze. Alice continued to watch and saw as the rest of his friends continued to grin at him.

William just elbowed Christopher and the rest of his friends so that they would move towards the Ravenclaw table.

Alice turned a full 180° and was met with her cousin, blushing profusely. "Have I missed something?" she asked, slight enjoying Jane's discomfort.

She replied far too quickly. "No you haven't."

Alice arched her eyebrow which led to a silent stand off to see who would break first - It was Jane who sighed, defeated.

"We met in summer," she started and began to shift in her seat but Alice merely gestured for her to continue. "Well it was a normal day. I was, um, flying around my garden… doing a little quidditch practice." she quickly added the last part.

Yet It did not escape Alice's attention and she secretly vowed that her cousin would try out for the team. [After all she had been practicing forever.]

Suddenly the sorting hat began to sing.

"This isn't over," Alice whispered as the entire hall went silent and the first years entered. It wasn't long before the new students were sorted into their respective houses and the tables became covered with food. There were long platters full of fried chips, chicken, lamp chops, vats of gravy and mounds of peppered steaks.

Although Alice was hungry she was determined to get Jane to spill the rest of her story and so she once again forced her cousin to divulge more information.

"Well… then a quaffle came zooming over my fence," Jane began. "So I threw it back."Alice nodded as she spooned a generous amount of mash potatoes onto her plate.

"Then it came back again so I threw it back and then this went on until the sixth time when it nearly knocked me off my broom." Jane told Alice as she reached for the steak.

"As you can imagine I was _really _annoyed when I heard the doorbell…," Alice nodded in agreement. "…so I'm angry I've got the quaffle in one hand and my broom in the other. I stormed to the front door, threw it open…"

"And it was William," Alice finished, laughing slightly.

Jane covered her face. "And I was wearing my flying shorts," she whispered through her fingers as she cringed at the memory.

Alice brought her hand to cover her own mouth. "Oh… you mean your _really_ short shorts?" she asked and Jane nodded before holding her hand up.

"Oh no it gets better," she in informed Alice who by now was leaning forward.

"His whole quidditch team was there!" Jane wailed, "I was so embarrassed that I gave him back his quaffle and just shut my front door on him."

By now Alice was in hysterics, so much so that her stomach ached as she imagined Jane's face.

Jane scowled half heartedly as she tried to cool down her cheeks "I'm glad you find it funny."

Alice was about to speak but was cut off by the clinking of glass and the head masters voice as he started his final words- A signal that the feast was about to end.

Alice found that she could just make out Dumbledore's warm smile through his long, wispy ,white beard. He was the epitome of kindness and knowledge. His trade mark half-moon spectacles were resting on the bridge of his nose, framing his sparkling eyes and his pointed hat was titling slightly to the left, in an almost comical fashion.

Dumbledore addressed each year personally and by the time he had finished it was late and Alice was yawning like crazy. She and Jane both walked up to their dormitory in a daze and before Alice knew it she was clambering into her soft, welcoming bed. The moonlight streamed through the half open window above her and she fell into a deep slumber as soon as her head hit the pillow.

* * *

Special thanks to Sparklyshimmer2010 for her encouragement


	5. This was meant to be the best year ever

Hope you enjoy

**Song of the day : You me at six - Nasty habits  
**

* * *

The owl post had come and gone and breakfast had already been served.

Alice came to notice the two rolls of parchment that were sitting beside her goblet. She swiftly yanked off the string and watched as the parchment unravelled. Jane mimicked her actions.

"Potions," Alice grumbled, taking a sip of her juice. It shouldn't have surprised her to see that this subject was on her list after all she had chosen to study it further. "_Not willingly_," she thought. "_But I do want to be an Auror"._

Her eyes travelled across the teachers table and when Alice spotted Professor Slughorn she couldn't help but glare at him. "Damn his favouritism," she cursed under her breath. He never gave her the time of day even though she loved potions and tried harder than anyone else._ I am special enough attend his little parties._

Bitterly, Alice turned her attention to the other scroll and quickly untied it. Immediately her mouth felt like saw dust as she spotted Frank's name. To her it seemed to be double the size of everyone else's.

"What's wrong?" Jane asked, leaning forward to see what was shocking her cousin so much.

Alice handed the parchment to her and Jane scanned the class lists to find that Alice had three out of her five lessons with Frank.

"Oh my god!" Jane cried, which resulted in Alice hitting her. The Gryffindor class had always been split into two halves and Alice and Frank had always been in separate halves. By now she could feel her cheeks burning just thinking about being in classes with him.

"It gets worse," Jane added as she showed her cousin her class list.

Alice's eyes bulged. "We only have Transfiguration and defence against the dark arts together."

Jane nodded. "Well I've got four lessons with William everyday including Apparition," she moaned and Alice silently rejoiced that she had received her license last year.

"How can you be so calm about this?" Alice asked and her cousin snorted as she lifted up her palms to show that were specked with perspiration.

Deciding that there was no point in worrying, they both tucked into their full English breakfast, but Alice suddenly caught sight of the head girl out of the corner of her eye. Alice looked up the table to see Lily seated in between James and Frank and she was waving at her. Alice was completely at a loss but then she noticed the class list in Frank's hand.

Alice felt like she was suffering from heart burn but she quickly offered Lily a small smile and a wave which she nearly stopped when she met Frank's eyes. _Does Lily know I like him?…no that's INSANE._

"What was that about?" Jane whispered.

She and Alice both watched Frank scold Lily, whilst James just laughed.

Alice hid her face behind her hands. "What if they all know that I like Frank and are laughing at me?" she whispered back, her face reddening.

Jane shook her head. "Don't be silly, there's no _way_ they know," she comforted.

Suddenly Alice didn't feel so hungry and so spent the reminder of breakfast, swirling her fork through the pile of eggs that were on her plate. "_Why was Lily waving to __**me**_?" Despite the fact that Lily and Alice were in the same year they never really talked much apart from exchanging pleasantries.

Lily was…well in want of a better word "popular" she was smart, beautiful and she was dating Potter._ I mean come on_. Furthermore she was also friends with his gang, consisting of Sirius the ladies man, Remus who was still equally good-looking plus really sweet and Peter…hmm…well Peter…he was…nice… too and last but by no means least, Frank.

Alice sighed. _Frank_. He didn't know it but a lot of girls in Gryffindor fancied him, you only had to stay in the girls dormitories for five minutes to know that they liked him. The ratings went like James first, although he had a girlfriend. [That didn't actually discourage many girls]. Then Sirius followed by Frank and then Remus and as for Peter….well he wasn't on the list at all.

Alice stared into the depths of her goblet, woefully before taking a sip of pumpkin juice. _This was meant to be the best year ever._


	6. He's creepy

Love song: **The only way i know how to feel - boys like girls**

* * *

Alice felt a pain in her shoulder. "Damn bag," she cursed.

Her shoulder bag was so crammed with books she had to carry her "Success in Potions" hardback.

Alice made her way down the grand staircase from the Gryffindor common room. Every inch of the walls were covered with portraits ranging from Knights to dwarfs.

All of a sudden Jane nudged her. "Maybe _he_ sent you the potions book," she joked.

Alice looked up see Walter coming out of the Great Hall and he was grinning at her. _Oh no! _She paled immediately. "God I hope not," Alice whispered, cringing as he waved frantically.

Walter was a Gryffindor in the year below with saucer sized glasses and a bowl style hair cut. His robes were a size too small for him and he walked slightly hunched over. It was odd but every time she turned around she would see him. Alice shuddered. "_It's as if he knows my entire timetable by heart…_."

Sure, she felt sorry for him because he was nice. But he was just so damn creepy!

"Please let's keep moving," Alice begged and a sympathetic smile spread across Jane's face.

"One day he'll take the hint," she told Alice and they both looked back to see that Walter was walking in the opposite direction.

Alice breathed a sigh of relief before turning to her cousin. "Well I'll see you later."

Jane waved as she made her way towards Herbology. Alice just groaned and trudged down the spiraling staircase which led to the dank dungeon. Within a few seconds her eyes became accustomed to the darkness and she made her way down the narrow, stone corridor.

()()()()()()()()()

The potions lesson passed without anything eventful happening. Alice spent most of it staring directly at the black board, not daring to turn around because Frank was sitting right behind her.

_This was going to be a __**long**__ day._


	7. Charms class

**The salt water room - owl city**

* * *

Classroom 2E

Alice was the first one to arrive at the charms class and upon entering she found her name card on the first row. Three long desks spanned each side of the room and were built up like stairs. Right at the end underneath a large arched window was the teachers desk and it was flanked by two blackboards covered in a heavy scrawl of chalk white notes.

Suddenly Professor Flitwick came waddling in. "Hello Miss Taylor."

Alice smiled and greeted the dwarf; he had always been so kind to her. No more words could be exchanged though as the rest of the class came shuffling in therefore Alice quickly took her seat before pulling out her books.

"I have a seating arrangement," Professor Flitwick called over the heads of the students as he directed them to their seats. Alice twirled her wand between her fingers. She really wasn't worried about the Slytherins even as they took their seats, opposite her. When Severus entered though she did feel a slight cold dread. Alice had been in many classes with him last year and for no reason at all he seemed to dislike her (then again he disliked everyone) Snape wasn't much to look at Alice concluded as she studied him. His face was framed by two curtains of long black hair, he had sallow skin and his large, hooked nose did little to help.

"Oh Mr. Longbottom you'll be sitting here," the charms teacher informed as he tapped the empty desk next to Alice.

_What! _Alice snapped her head up to see Frank, who looked equally as shocked. She couldn't help but notice how James shoved Frank towards her, laughing. Alice began to inhale sharply, trying to get air into her constricted lungs. Alice squirmed and just wished that the ground would open up and swallow her. "_Oh great, he doesn't want to sit beside me! That's encouraging."_

Alice quickly settled for pretending to read. Frank was definitely one of those guys who it was better to admire from afar because when he got too close Alice was reduced to a stuttering, blushing mess."

Alice only managed a faint smile as Frank took the seat whilst Lily sat on her right.

Thankfully the lesson passed fairly quickly and in silence as they were practicing non-verbal charms.

"You need to relax your wrist," Lily advised, 3/4 of te way into the lesson to a frustrated Alice.

"Having trouble Alice?" Severus sneered. "It wouldn't surprise me since you're not meant to be in this class."

Frank stopped mid conversation as he heard the remark and glared at Snape.

"Don't react. Don't react." Alice chanted over and over in her head.

Severus was hitting a raw nerve and he knew it. Alice had always battled with the feeling of being an underachiever. "Well," she thought protectively, "It's not my family's fault that they're so effortlessly brilliant." Taking five newts was standard in her house. Alice knew that she would struggle with her workload this year.

Snape would not relent his taunting and Alice could feel her teeth grinding together. His words were like nails on a chalk board, scratching away at her patience. Alice flicked her wand and muttered a charm under her breath which caused a 300 page book to fly across the room. The next thing Severus felt was a hardback cover hit him squarely in the face.

"There you are, that might squash your nose down a bit." Alice said mockingly as she folding her arms. "You can thank me later."

Instantly Alice could hear gasps coming from her fellow Gryffindors as blood began to trickle down Severus's nose and ran down his chin. The Slytherin furiously wiped away the red discharge, his shock giving way to fury.

Everyone had stopped to stare at them.

"Professor! This wench just threw this book at me," Snape spat angrily as he pointed at Alice.

The young witch couldn't help but notice how Frank's hand tightened around his wand. Alice put on passive expression as Professor Flitwick made his way towards her.

"Professor I have no idea what Snape is talking about I would never do such a thing," Alice said sweetly as she tried to control her laughter.

The charms teacher was convinced straight away. After all Alice never misbehaved, plus Severus's dislike for Gryffindor was widely known. Professor Flitwick smiled at her and Alice could see Severus's face contort with anger. She saw his lips move as he muttered the same spell.

Unfortunately though for the Slytherin, Professor Flitwick turned around at that exact moment and stopped the book in mid air. "Now now Mr. Snape that is very inappropriate behaviour on your part and will result in ten points being taken from Slytherin." This announcement received a chorus of hisses and Alice shook her head, pretending to be disgusted by Snape's behaviour, which only fuelled his rage. She could practically see the giant vein in the middle of his forehead, throbbing like mad.

Professor Flitwick turned to see if Alice was okay.

"Yes I'm fine, I can even forgive Severus for his lies and violent actions," she said and the dwarf smiled at his student's kind nature.

With disappoint the entire class turned their attentions back to their books but Severus continued to glare at Alice.

"That was very cool," Frank whispered, causing Alice's heart to thunder in her chest. She had been so caught up in her revenge that she had, for a moment forgotten that he was beside her.

Alice felt her face flush as she met Frank's eyes.

"I'll make sure I never get on your bad side." he added jokingly.

"I could never be angry with you." The words slipped out before Alice could stop them. She continued to blush furiously as she saw Frank smile and two dimples appeared.

Thankfully the bell rang before Alice could embarrass herself any further and she quickly shoved her belongings into her bag. Frank had already pushed in his chair and gestured for her to go first. Alice flashed him a shy smile and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear as she walked past him.

Once Alice had entered the hallway she breathed a sigh of relief.

"So you think you're funny do you?" came a voice dripping with venom. Severus appeared out of thin air and blocked her way. A number of first years scuttled past, afraid that if they lingered too long that they would, somehow also face his wrath.

"Not particularly," Alice answered, pretending to be more bored than threatened. Suddenly Severus advanced on Alice and looked utterly menacing. However no sooner was he invading Alice's personal space that he was backing away.

"Is there a problem here?"

Alice turned to see that Frank was fast approaching them, his eyes diamond bright and his fists clenched. He wedged himself between her and Severus, acting as a barrier.

"No," was all Severus said, his eyes narrowing. In return Alice glared back at him until he slithered away. She watched his greasy mop of hair disappear, but not before he harassed a couple of Hufflepuffs for getting in his way.

Alice smiled up at Frank. "Thanks, but I could have handled him."

However frank did not look amused and was about to speak when Sirius appeared at Alice's side, throwing a casual arm around her shoulders. "Of course you could have," he sang.

Alice arched an eyebrow and Sirius withdrew his arm. "Sorry."

Then out of nowhere Lily arrived and unceremoniously grabbed Sirius by the back of his robes and dragged him away but not before she offered Frank a small smile. Alice found her heart drumming, crazily against her ribs as she watched the head girl practically shove Sirius round the corner. It was just her and Frank. Alone. No classmates, no teachers, no friends. Just them.

Frank grinned down at her, his anger fading fast. "Mind if I walk with you?" he asked. "Since you and I have the next class together."

Alice tried to speak past the lump in her throat. "S…sure."

They walked together in long drawn silence and Alice soon began to fidget.

"You're taking five NEWTS then," Frank stated suddenly and Alice was startled for a second before she nodded. "You're very clever," He added.

Alice felt her cheeks burn. "Thanks but your taking five as well so you're just as clever."

Frank puffed out his chest "Never said I wasn't." This made her giggle.

Alice revelled in the fresh air as she left the confines of the castle and walked down the sloping hill towards the greenhouse. The pair soon lapsed into silence once again which seemed to stretch on forever and Alice became more and more apprehensive as she raked her brain for something to say.

Luckily Frank spoke first "So… how was your summer?" he inquired.

"It was okay," Alice replied.

Frank didn't seem satisfied by her vague answer therefore he urged her to continue and Alice felt warmed by the attention he was giving her.

_He's actually listening!_ Alice began to divulge random details about her joyful summer, there would be an occasional bout of awkward silence but she soldiered through them.


	8. Quidditch try out

**It's raining like anything where I live, i've got the cold but on the plus side i managed to finish this chapter.**

**Damn the "S" key on my laptop is broken which makes typing soooo annoying. **

A song that will leave you feeling all mushy inside. **Somewhere only we know - keane**

* * *

It had been two weeks since that eventful charms class and Alice felt the awkwardness between her and Frank fade. She was even surprised at how well she had managed to fit herself into his group of friends. What didn't come as a surprise though, was that she got on the best with Lily.

Jane held her broom in a death grip. "I can't believe you are making me do this."

Alice just ushered her onto the Quidditch pitch. "It's about time you tried out for the team."

James turned and saw the two girls walking towards him. "Ahh Alice. Are you trying out for the team?" he teased.

Alice just made a face at him. _So what if my flying skills are as good as a fourth years_. "No, my cousin Jane is."

James turned to Jane, smiling. "Well I hope you're good because I'm still a chaser down."

"She is more than good," Alice commented before she made her way towards the stand where Remus and Peter sat. They exchanged greetings and Alice took her seat.

Jane quickly kicked off from the ground and the rest of the Quidditch team followed. Alice just came to notice Sirius on an ancient school broom which did not hinder his talent in the slightest. Her face fell though as Frank was nowhere to be found nor was Lily for that matter.

The try- out soon started and all Jane had to do was shoot at varying distances from the goal posts, which she did easily.

However Alice soon became distracted as she caught a glimpse of blue and bronze and she felt her lips curl upwards. William slipped into a seat in the far corner of an empty stand along with his friends. His eyes were permanently glued onto Jane, who remained blissfully unaware of his presence.

Alice turned her attention back to her cousin. The difficulty of the try out had increased but Jane was still on the pitch with the quaffle under her arm on one side and the rest of the Quidditch team on the other. She just smiled and gestured for them to bring it on. Without warning James shot forward but Jane quickly nose divided which caused him to fly straight to the other end of the pitch.

"Go on Jane!" Alice yelled.

It was like watching an intricate dance as Jane weaved through the rest of the team, their arms outstretched trying to snatch the quaffle from her. Yet they always ended up grasping onto nothing but the air.

Jane made a sudden, jerky turn to shake off Sirius who was right on her tail and the only person that stood in her way was Dan, the bulky but agile keeper who was readying himself. However Jane did not falter and remained calm as she shot down to the lowest and furthest post from him.

Then it was as if time had slowed as Alice watched the red blur go through the hoop.

Alice whooped and clapped. "Well done Jane!"

She could hear Jane's laughter as she spun around to see James and the rest of the Quidditch team flying in mid air, their mouths agape.

"Didn't even break a sweat," She added and by now they had formed a circle around her.

James was grinning like a fool. "Jane… welcome to the team," he congratulated her, "We are definitely going to crush everyone this year, especially the Slytherin's."

The last part of his statement was followed by a rowdy approval of cheers and yells. Once the excitement had dimmed slightly and the cheering fizzled into a gentle murmur of voices Jane flew down to the stands.

Alice ran up to her cousin. "You were amazing!"

Jane grinned and her eyes shone. "Thanks but I was so scared at first but then…" she continued to talk but all Alice could see were her lips moving because William had moved down from the stands. His friends were all grinning and pushing him towards Jane whilst they whispered.

Alice quickly returned her gaze back to Jane but she still slyly watched William running his hands through his hair and straightening out his clothes as he came closer.

Unfortunately though her smile caused Jane to turn around and in an instant her head whipped back.

"Oh my god, oh my god," she barely managed to whisper as Alice retreated.

"Don't you dare leave me!" Jane's weak threat coupled with her pleading look showed Alice how nervous she was. Her eyes were wide as she silently pleaded for her cousin to stay.

Suddenly Alice spotted Lily and found her excuse.

"See you," Alice whispered before she swiftly walked towards Lily, who was already at the end of the pitch.

Alice heard a faint squeal but in an instant she was at Lily's side and walking towards the castle.

Once out of sight she burst out laughing.

"You know Jane is going to KILL you?" Lily commented as she too began to giggle

Alice raised her arms, triumphantly into the air. "Well I know he likes her so I thought I would give them a little push."

At this Lily began to laugh outright.

Alice arched her eyebrows. "What?" but Lily just shook her head.

"Oh Alice you are so observant when it comes to other people but are totally oblivious when it concerns you."

Lily's words were cryptic which only seemed to confuse Alice further but the head girl said no more.


	9. What goes around comes around

**Sweet disposition - temper trap**

* * *

Lily and Alice chatted as they strolled through the many corridors of the castle, making their way towards the Gryffindor tower

Just then Alice saw Severus walking down a nearby staircase, glowering at her "Seriously he's got a problem," she whispered. Yet Lily didn't even bother to look at him which Alice noted made Severus clench his jaw and his nostrils flared as if he was ready to breathe fire.

Alice turned to watch Snape stomp away, his cloak billowing behind him. "It's as if he hates me more when I'm with you?"

Lily made no attempt to comment which she took as a sign that she didn't want to talk about the Slytherin. This was understandable though, after all Alice had looked on as Lily had stuck up for her former friend against her future boyfriend, in fifth year. It was all anyone could talk about for weeks. Severus had lashed out at Lily humiliating and hurting her at the same time and effectively ending their friendship. Alice did not dare say the "M- word" or even think it. The insult was too vile to repeat and before Severus had said the "M- word" Alice had had a lot of sympathy for him but now he disgusted her.

"Em…so…," Alice stumbled. "I'm sorry I didn't mean to talk about Severus."

Lily just smiled. "No it's fine and anyway enough about him" she said, her expression warping into an evil grin. "I know a secret…or two"

Alice began to wring her hands and she did not look at Lily, in fear that she would see her panic. "Oh really"

The head girl just stared at her, smirking. "You like someone," she stated, plainly.

Alice stopped dead in her tracks. "No…no…I don't," she retorted as she began to walk quicker. _I knew she knew!_

Lily jogged up to her friend. "Yes you do, yes you do," she repeated, poking Alice in her side repeatedly.

"No…I…" but Alice cut herself off.

Lily recited the password so that they could both enter the common room before she pointed to Alice's cheeks. "So why are you blushing?"

Her hands flew to her cheeks so that she could hide them. "I'm not. It's hot," Alice replied, lamely. Lily's laughter echoed in her ears and at that moment Alice just wished that the ground would part so that she would fall and no longer feel so embarrassed.

"Please don't tell him?" Alice begged and she nearly screamed as Frank suddenly appeared from the boys dormitories

"Ooo… Don't tell who what?" he asked.

Lily's wicked smirk returned. "Nothing," she sang as he left Alice in common room with him.

"What goes around comes around, Alice," Lily shouted just before she disappeared up the stairs.

"Damn you Lily," Alice cursed under her breath a she moistened her dry lips. She moved towards the sofa which was positioned in front of the fire._ Act Aloof. Aloof!_ "I didn't see you at the Quidditch try out today"

Frank rubbed the back of his neck whilst he sat opposite her on the settee. "Em…yeah I was talking to Lily…for some…advice and stuff."

Alice was about to inquire further but Frank spoke first. "So, was it you who was trying out for the team?"

She laughed softly, slapping his arm. "Come on Frank you've seen me fly at least once. I'm absolutely dreadful at it." Alice paused for a second. _Did I just hit him!_

Frank grinned and was about to protest but Alice raised her eyebrows. "Okay yeah but I'm not that great as well," he comforted. Suddenly the fat lady could be heard singing, fairly out of tune as the portrait door swung open and James and the rest of the Quidditch team shuffled in, closely followed by Jane.

They all moved towards Frank and Alice and dropped into the various array of armchairs nearby

Jane smiled, too sweetly and there was revenge in her eyes. "Oh Come on Alice budge up so we can all sit." Alice felt her eyes narrow because there was plenty space between her and Frank

Sirius and James caught on quickly and they followed Jane as she sat on Alice's left side, successfully causing her to move closer and closer to Frank. The sofa, which could only seat four people now had five which meant that Alice found herself tightly pressed against Frank's side. She could feel her insides melt.

Frank titled his head so that he was facing Alice and smiled, mouthing an apology. She just shook her head and beamed back at him. Conveniently though Lily came bounding down the stairs and frowned as she saw the large group that sat in the common room. It was Alice's turn to look smug. She's probably annoyed that her little plan hasn't worked.

Yet Lily's disappointment soon disappeared when she saw James gesturing for her to come to him. She sat on her boyfriends lap and Alice made eye contact with Lily before she ran her finger across her neck.

Lily just laughed at the threat whilst Jane grinned.

()()()()()()()()()

Alice lay in her bed completely worn out for she had been writing essay after essay and reading textbook after textbook for nearly three hours now. Everyone else had fallen asleep so she was now working by candlelight. The scratching of a quill against parchment was all Alice could hear, well that and the irregular snores of four sleeping friends. Once Alice had finally finished she screwed on the lid back onto her ink bottle and stowed away her books.

She flopped onto her back and her head immediately sank into the soft pillows. Alice turned onto her side to see Grace's muggle alarm clock and it's bright face showed that it was 1.30am.

"I'm so tired," Alice groaned quietly, drawing her duvet right over her shoulders. Her mind raced back to her and Lily's encounter with Severus. I swear I'm going to shout at him if tries to harass me again. Alice could feel her eyebrows knit together as she recalled how angry he had looked._ Could it be that he… loves Lily?…I think…maybe….It is possible…_but Alice's thoughts soon trailed off as her heavy eyelids shut.


	10. Punching a Snake

**The more I think it over, the more I feel that there is nothing more truly artistic than to love people" - Vincent Van Gogh**

* * *

Summer was fading fast and the chill of winter was on the horizon. The leaves on the whomping willow had turned from a vibrant green to bright shades of red and orange. As October came so did the violent weather and everyday there would be a down pour. It was like the heavens had opened up and rain fell hard and fast through the thick, grey clouds, emptying their loads upon the earth. The water lashed at the ground, showing the sheer ferocity of nature, never easing in it's power and cleansing the world.

Alice sighed as she made her way to her next class, all the while regretting how she had not taken full advantage of that precious moment alone with Frank.

Since that one time in the common room whenever Alice was with him there would always be a third person whether it was Lily, James, Jane, Remus or Sirius. _Don't get me wrong I love having so many great friends but_… Alice frowned. "I just want to be alone with him" she whined as she walked on. It felt strange to Alice not to see Jane in any of her classes or in the great hall for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Unfortunately Jane had caught some kind of bug and had been bed bound for four days.

"Think your popular now?" someone sneered. Alice whipped around to see Severus emerge from the shadows and she felt her hands ball into fists for she was so sick of him skulking around.

Alice clapped her hand over her mouth, in mock horror. "Ouch that hurt but have you ever thought that maybe your jealous…" Snape just scoffed as he advanced into her personal space, towering over her.

Her eyes darted right and then left but there was no one around. "…You know because I'm friends with Lily" Alice stated as he circled her threateningly, like a lion does a deer.

"I pride myself on my observational skills," Alice informed, glaring at the Slytherin. "Do you want to know what I've found out about you?" Yet she didn't wait for Severus to answer. " You've never wanted Lily and yourself to just be friends. Have you?"

Alice tried not to notice how his eyes turned into slits

"You love her," Alice continued, looking smug. "I've seen the way you look at her."

"You better shut your mouth before I force it shut," he warned.

Sure it wasn't a very smart idea to goad the Slytherin but Alice knew it was better to act confident rather than come across slightly scared. "What's the matter Snape you can dish it out but you can't take it."_ Okay this is suicidal…after all he is friends with death eaters._

Snape's lips curled back in a snarl but Alice stood her ground. "What… do you expect sympathy Snape? Can you blame Lily for liking James better than you? After all you called her…"

Severus swung around savagely and yelled. "I said SHUT UP." Suddenly he drew out his wand, pointing it straight at her chest and Alice could feel her heart seize. His wand hand shook violently and his knuckles were chalk white. All Alice could do was stand there, paralyzed as her knees had locked.

All of a sudden a fist collided with Snape's face and Alice screamed - She could recognise that figure anywhere.

"Frank!" Alice cried as he and Snape tumbled to the ground. They were soon just a mess of flailing limbs.

"You little Snake!" Frank yelled as he punched Severus square in the jaw. Alice watched on helplessly as the two of them continued to wrestle each other. She pleaded for them to stop when Snape's knee slammed into Frank's ribs.

Out of nowhere a large crowd of spectators had materialized around the three of them. The students all cheered for the fight to continue.

Severus stretched out his hand, fumbling around for his wand. Yet Frank reacted quickly, kicking it further out of his reach and it slid across the marble. In that moment James and Sirius appeared at Alice's side, looking completely dumb struck. "Do something," she demanded.

They immediately rushed forward and grabbed Frank's shoulders, hauling him off Snape.

The pair tried to restrain him. "I'll kill you if you ever do that again," Frank roared, struggling against their hold.

Alice stepped in front of Frank, resting her hands against his chest. "Please Frank calm down. Its fine."

Severus stumbled to his feet, rubbing away the blood from the cut on his lower lip.

"What is the meaning of this?" Professor McGonagall screeched as she pushed her way through the crowd, quickly followed by Lily and Remus.

"Severus threatened Alice with his wand," Frank spat as he pushed forward, trying to get a hold of Snape. Everyone gasped in shock and even James and Sirius's grip on their friend weakened at the revelation.

Professor McGonagall acted swiftly. "Now now there is nothing to see here," she told the students firmly and soon enough the crowd had dispersed, scuttling towards their next class.

Lily moved to comfort Alice. "Mr Snape, Mr Longbottom detention for a week," Professor McGonagall informed.

Severus glared at Alice "What about her? She provoked me."

Frank rushed towards the Slytherin but was held back once again. "Why you little-"

The deputy headmistress held up her hand. "Nothing excuses your behaviour Mr Snape but Miss Taylor you shall join Mr Longbottom in detention." She turned on her heel but not before she faced Frank and Severus. "Now get yourselves to the hospital wing."

For a brief second cold, charcoal black eyes met furious, green ones. Severus scowled as Lily glared at him and defiantly he stomped away.

"Are you okay?" Alice asked Frank as she touched his hand, softly.

She flinched as Frank inhaled sharply. "I think I've broken some fingers," he groaned.

Remus laughed which caused creases to appear around his mouth. "Maybe that's because this Is the first time you've ever punched someone."

Alice lightly pushed Frank down the hallway. "Come on we should go and see Madame Pomfrey, right now." The two of them disappeared soon after and James, Remus and Sirius were about to follow.

Lily grabbed the backs of all three robes with difficulty ."And where do you think you guys are going?" she asked them as they turned around to face her.

James pointed to the stairs "We are going to…"

Lily shook her head at her boyfriend. "No. No your going to stay right here"

_()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()_

Alice and Frank entered the empty hospital wing and the usual clinical smell greeted them. A row of neatly- made, basic beds with white linen sheets lined both walls -Each bed was separated by a green curtain. The infirmary was dark and all you could see through the large arched windows was the rain thrashing against the glass.

Madame Pomfrey was not amused in the slightest when Frank told her how he obtained his injury. She ushered him onto a bed before disappearing into a smaller separate room which had numerous shelves, all stacked with potions.

Frank sat on the edge of the bed and Alice dragged a nearby by chair closer to him. Every time he moved slightly he would wince and so would she. His pain was her pain. The matron came back in and hurriedly emptied the content of a little blue vial into a goblet. Frank downed the harsh tasting liquid and Instantly he felt his bones mend.

Frank moved his hand. "OWW!" he cried as he looked at the nurse, accusingly.

Poppy raised her eyebrows. "Well I've fixed your hand Mr Longbottom but that doesn't mean you won't experience pain." She then felt his ribs. "Nothings broken here but you do have bruises. I would prefer it if you stayed here over night."

Frank just nodded, resigning himself to the fact that he would have to spend a night alone in the hospital wing.

Madame Pomfrey retreated into her office and left the two Gryffindor's alone.

"Frank you didn't have to hurt yourself on my account," Alice said, placing her hand on his knee without realizing it.

Anger once again flared in the depths of Frank's eyes. "I did! Severus is so pathetic trying to hurt a girl."

Alice felt a burning sensation in her heart at the memory of how Frank had defended her. "So…this is the only time you've ever been in a fight?"

Frank nodded quickly. "Yes…yes of course."

Alice grinned. "Well I'm glad," she stated but then her forehead creased . "So why did you decide to now?"

"Alice…" Frank started but when he met her hazel brown eyes he stopped. His intense gaze made her blush and she found herself leaning forward. "Alice the reason I hit him was because I…"

"Frankie!" James yelled as he waltzed into the room. In an instant Alice leapt away from Frank, her entire face flushing.

Sirius had joined James and they both now stood on the other side of Frank's bed "Hi Alice."

Frank looked at her, trying to get her attention but she focused her gaze on the double doors. Remus and Lily now appeared. The head girl's arms were crossed as she walked towards them.

Alice stood up and hurriedly smoothed down her skirt. "Em…well…," she struggled, pointing to the entrance. "I better go."

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Visiting hours had ended and Lily, James, Remus and Sirius were shooed out of the hospital wing, immediately.

Once out of sight Lily slapped the back of James's head before moving to Sirius and doing the same.

"What was that for?" they whined together.

Remus shook his head, laughing outright.

Lily threw her hands in the air. "You only had to do ONE thing which was stay and wait."

"We did," James replied, wounded, "We waited 15 minutes."

"Well that obviously wasn't long enough was it?" she retorted before raking her fingers through her hair. "There won't be an opportunity like this again…" Sirius fell into silent thought as she began to ramble. "You know Alice is either with her friends or Jane or one of us so she'll never be alone with Frank and she is shy and…"

However James, Sirius and Remus were now exchanging knowing looks.

"Lily, honey calm down," James soothed, "There's a Hogsmeade visit this weekend." He watched his girlfriend as she contemplated this fact.

"Even with Jane ill Alice will still have her other friends ," Lily commented, "We have to make sure that she is by herself."

Three boys grinned as they walked on. "Leave that to us."


	11. First kiss

"**Keep love in your heart. A life without it is like a sunless garden when the flowers are dead. The consciousness of loving and being loved brings a warmth and richness to life that nothing else can bring" - Oscar Wilde**

* * *

Alice grudgingly went to her weeks worth of detention and much to her disappointment Frank was never with her. Professor Mcgonagall had decided that it would be more dull, boring and a better punishment if they served detention alone.

Alice however just shrugged off the memory since this was the first weekend in ages that she was able to get out of Hogwarts. She was more than thankful to escape the pile of homework that was building up on her bedside cabinet. However a slight dampener on her mood was that she was going alone as Jane had been moved to the hospital wing because she was practically cough her guts out now.

The rest of her friends had gotten detention somehow. "_I have no idea how their potion caught on fire,"_ Alice thought as she ventured through the great hall. "_They followed all the instructions_."

Yet no matter how much Alice hated being alone she was utterly desperate to escape anything that reminded her of school. Therefore she was happy to look like a loner or to be a "Snape" as everyone called it, in exchange for at least a few hours of freedom - It was a price worth paying.

Alice hugged her coat closer to her body as she made her way towards the little village. She loved all the seasons even Autumn because when the cold came it was an excuse to huddle up beside a fire with a steaming cup of hot chocolate.

_Ahh Hogsmeade. _The village looked wonderful with its little thatched roofs. Jack- o- lanterns, skeletons and fairy lights shaped like skulls hung from the windows and doors (Even though it wasn't Halloween yet)

If you weren't already in a festive mood before you came to Hogsmeade you certainly would be when you left.

Alice titled her head up towards the night sky and saw nothing but the almost half moon. "Waxing Gibbous...". She smiled. "See who says astronomy wouldn't come in handy?" She walked past Honeydukes which had giant pumpkins outside the shop and bonfire toffee and soul cakes displayed in the window.

Alice couldn't control her wandering eyes so much so that she did not even notice Frank ,who was standing outside Zonkos joke shop and blatantly staring at her.

"Come on Frank stop leering at Alice like some stalker and just go up to her. I mean she's alone," James commented just before Lily elbowed him in the ribs. His last observation was true though. Alice wasn't surrounded by her friends and it was too good an opportunity to miss. Frank never really understood why girls had this need to travel around in packs.

Lily turned to face him. "Please don't take any relationship advice from James."

Frank couldn't help but look on enviously as both Lily and James bantered for a good few minutes.

"Won you over didn't I," James cut in, grinning as she half heartedly scolded him. Suddenly as if realizing that they weren't the only two people in the world they both turned their attention back to Frank and his problem.

James held Lily under a loving arm as he pointed towards the three broomsticks. "Look she's going in."

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Alice took a seat at the table which was snuggled up nicely in the far corner of the room, under a wide window. She pulled on her woollen scarf, loosening it. Her butterbeer arrived in seconds and Alice found herself staring into the foamy tankard as the fireplace crackled away, somewhere to her right.

"Ahh," Alice sighed as she took a sip. The heat from the tankard warmed her ice cold hands. However her blissful moment was interrupted by someone clearing their throat. Alice looked up to see Frank standing beside her table.

She could feel her stomach do a somersault. "Hi Frank. Are you feeling better?"

Frank nodded whilst rubbing his palms together. " Mind if I sit here?"

Alice shook her head and pointed to the empty chair. "Ooo Peppermint toads," she commented, noticing the open green box in one of his shopping bags.

"Would you like one?" Frank asked as he pushed the box towards her.

Alice smiled gratefully. "Thanks. I eat anything with mint in it."

Suddenly the pub door swung open and a draft came rushing in as well as Sirius and Remus. It was only now that Alice came to notice James and Lily, sitting at the other side of the room.

Remus seemed quite pale and peaky, he had faint but still visible dark circles under his eyes and everything from his posture to his appearance radiated pure exhaustion.

"Remus Is looking a little worse for wear," Alice said more to herself than anyone.

Frank gazed at her face, so full of sympathy. "Yeah he's…ill"

Alice turned back to him. "Is it the same thing that Jane's got?" she asked but Frank just shrugged.

He hastily searched for a change of subject. "Would you like to get out of here?" Frank asked, hopeful. The room had become stuffy, slightly smokey and was now awfully crowded therefore Alice nodded eagerly.

She and Frank left the inn and the sudden change of temperature made her shiver as they began to walk straight ahead.

"So…you and Jane seem pretty close," Frank stated out of the blue.

Alice smiled. "Yes, since my two older brothers and her older sister moved out we've become even closer." Frank just nodded.

With no idea were they were going they continued to venture through the darkness but Alice stopped when the shrieking shack came into view. The abandoned house sat towering on a hill and constructed of dingy old wood. She gulped silently as Frank continued to stride towards the building [that not even ghosts entered]. He was completely unphased as if he did not know that it had been dubbed the most haunted building in Britain.

Alice silently chided herself for being such a baby but she, like the majority of the Hogwarts students had heard the wild stories about what inhabited the shrieking shack.

A understanding smile spread across Frank's face. "Your not scared are you?"

"No of course not," Alice replied. _Yeah like I'm going to tell the guy that I like that I am frightened to death._

She could feel her skin crawl as she remembered that time when her brothers had watched a muggle horror movie about Zombies when they had been babysitting her._ I was only eight! _Alice tried to justify why she still had a silly fear of all things associated with Halloween, down to being scared at a young age.

"I hope Snape hasn't been bothering you anymore?" Frank asked, his eyes narrowing at the mention of the Slytherin.

"No…" Alice's eyes swept around her surroundings as if she was half expecting something to pop out and scare her. "Thanks to you." she finished, beaming up at Frank.

They had now reached the wire fence that surrounded the house and there was not a single soul insight, no lights and Alice could only hear her and Frank's breaths. On the second floor of the shack their was one curtain that wasn't drawn and she found that her eyes zoned in on it. _What the_…Alice felt her lungs constrict because for a second she swore she saw a white figure. She strained her eyes and caught a glimpse of the moving form.

Suddenly Alice heard a scream nearby and she jumped, biting back a cry.

The scream was followed by laughter and she immediately knew that someone must have been playing a joke on his or her friends. Alice breathed a sigh of relief.

"Em…" she heard Frank start. His voice cut through her fog of panic and it was only then did Alice come to realize that in her fright she had wrapped her arms around Frank's body and was hugging him. She could feel her heart racing in her chest.

Alice looked up into his sparkling eyes and a blush crept across her cheeks as she opened and closed her mouth repeatedly like a fish, expecting words to come out but nothing did. She jerked away from him but Frank just held her arms in place and unable and unwilling to stop the impulse he kissed her.

Alice stood unresponsive from the sheer shock of what was happening ,which caused Frank to pull back . Her eyes were wide and round as she tried to register the fact that he had just kissed her but she couldn't seem to. By now his cheeks were blazing red and he was about to speak but Alice grinned, quickly jumping up to bridge the distance between them.

Frank touched Alice's arm, sliding his fingers up to her shoulder and then under her hair to the back of her neck. He made her shiver and she leaned further into the kiss.

Alice's eyes fluttered shut as her lips moved in sink with his and Frank pinned her against his body but she didn't complain. She could feel a spark of heat surge from her heart and travel through her entire body as her arms snaked around his neck. Instinctively her lips parted so he kissed her harder and the smell of his hair and the heat of his skin was all Alice could comprehend.

When they parted she breathed hard as did Frank and they both just stared at each other.

Alice was pretty sure that she was blushing like mad because her entire face felt like it was on fire. "Em…I…"

Frank chuckled softly as he watched her struggle to speak. "I …I…guess you want to go out with me then?" Alice asked which only caused him to laugh harder.

Frank grinned down at her. "You've got that right…"He then extended his hand for Alice to take, which she readily did. "I guess your scared as well?"

She smiled, sheepishly at Frank who just kissed her scarlet cheek before leading the way back up the slippery path and away from the shrieking shack.


	12. To our meddling

"**When you are in Love you can't fall asleep because reality is better than your dreams." Dr Seuss**

* * *

"I really have no I idea what to say now?" Alice confessed, blushing furiously.

Frank just chuckled and squeezed her hand. "You don't have to say anything."

They walked on, their fingers intertwined and in contented silence. Although Alice soon became restless, she bit her lip. "I do want you to finish what you were about to say in the hospital wing though," she managed to utter.

It was Frank's turn to blush and with his free hand he scratched the back of his head. "Erm…it's kind of embarrassing."

Alice squeezed his hand this time, willing him to continue. Once they had cleared the trees and no longer in the shelter of the canopy of leaves they could feel the slow trickle of rain, falling from the sky. She could just see the three broomsticks but suddenly Frank stopped and pulled her to face him.

He looked down at Alice,her hair specked with little water droplets, a shy smile gracing her lips and he felt his mouth go dry. "I…was going to say that the reason I hit Snape was…" Alice felt her limbs go weak. "…I couldn't stand the idea of anyone…" His stomach clentched. "…hurting you..." Frank stopped and for a long moment he just stared at anything but her.

"I've felt really…protective over you for a long time now," he managed to finish. Alice felt like her heart was going to explode and all she could do was stare at him with a loving expression . After a minute Frank was able to look at Alice again and instinctively she stood on tip toe, placing a chaste kiss on his lips.

A chorus of cat calls caused Alice to jump back, startled but Frank just caught her and hugged her to his chest. They both turned to see James and the rest of the gang grinning wildly at the couple from a far.

James, Sirius and Remus all clapped Frank on the back whilst Lily offered Alice a smile. Yet like magnets Alice soon found herself standing beside Frank as the entire group made their way back to the Inn.

"Your hands are freezing," Frank commented, as he looked at her pink hands. Without thinking he weaved his fingers through hers and shoved his and her hand into his coat pocket. Alice wrapped her free hand around his arm and her mouth was hurting for her lips were stretched into a permanent smile.

All six of them entered the three broomsticks and took their seats at a large round table and butterbeers were ordered immediately.

Frank snuck his arm around Alice's waist and she leaned into his side, resting her head on his shoulder. She tore her eyes away from Frank to see Lily and James kissing and Remus was just smiling at her, the tiredness she had seen before had faded slightly. The tankards appeared In no time and everyone took a hold of one and held them in a circle.

"To our meddling," Sirius sang.

James, Lily and Remus laughed in approval as they hit their tankards together but the new couple just stared at them with confused expressions.


	13. Chocolates

Love Song: **Your bigget fan - Never shout never**

**

* * *

**

"No way! You and Frank are dating?" Jane exclaimed joyously.

Alice couldn't help but smile wildly and nod. "I'm so happy!" she gushed.

Jane just laughed at the dreamy expression that was plastered across her cousin's face. She gathered her belongings from the drawers beside the hospital wing bed, the place she had been living in for a week and a day now.

"I miss everything good," Jane sulked, folding her clothes and placing them inside her bag along with her get well cards.

Alice hugged her. "Well I'm just glad that you're not ill anymore. I've missed you."

At that moment Madame Pomfrey came bustling in. "Now Miss Taylor look after yourself."

Jane smiled thankfully at the matron as she slung her bag over her shoulder.

"Here are some gifts that were left for you," Madame Pomfrey added, handing over a box of chocolates and sugar quills before disappearing.

Jane laughed softly as she saw the quills. "Yes that's from me, Grace, Hazel and Charlotte. We know how bored and hungry you get during classes," Alice informed.

"And the chocolates?" Jane asked but Alice just shook her head as they began to walk towards the double doors. Jane frowned and drummed her fingers against her lips as she searched her mind. "_Who could it be…mum? No I didn't tell her I was ill,_" she mused

Madame Pomfrey returned with a bundle of fresh sheets and with a flick of her wand the bed covers where changed. "Oh Miss Taylor I forgot to tell you that a gentleman came to visit you but you were sleeping."

Jane and Alice both spun around to face the nurse, their eyes bulging.

"Who?" Jane demanded, too sharp to sound polite.

Poppy was taken aback by the urgency in Jane's voice. "I don't know anything apart from that he was a Ravenclaw and he left you those chocolates."

Jane was about to demand for more information but the riled Poppy had already turned on her heel towards the office.

Alice turned to her cousin."No way!"

"No it can't be him!" Jane thought out loud as they left the hospital wing. The corridors were practically empty but that didn't come as a surprise to the pair, seeing as it was a Sunday.

Jane twirled her box of chocolates around in her hands. _No…no he didn't_. " So Alice, tell me how did you and Frank get together."

Alice couldn't contain her joy as she re- told the story.

"Aww that's amazing!" Jane squealed and they both giggled.

As they rounded a corner Jane spotted Christopher down the hall and approached him, with Alice in tow.

He looked so lost in his own thoughts.

"Hi Christopher," Jane said tentatively.

Christopher's head snapped up. "Oh, hi Jane," he replied, his eyes lingered on the box in her hands and he bit back a smile. "Are you feeling alright now?"

Jane smiled. "Yes thank you." Christopher just nodded in acknowledgment before walking past them.

Alice arched her eyebrows.

"Don't jump to conclusions," Jane commanded.

"It was William, it was William," Alice repeated like a broken record, laughing as Jane's cheeks coloured.

()()()()()()()()()()()

**Monday evening **

"No, no, no," Jane cried as she jumped out of bed. It was her first quidditch practice and she had overslept and was now running late.

She had taken a nap since today had been her first full day of classes since she had fallen ill. Jane quickly ran a brush through her slightly matted hair, grabbed some mints and her wand.

Using her wand she tapped her broomstick and it followed her.

Without bothering to even wear her cloak or put her tie back on she quickly bolted out of her dorm.

"Crap! Crap! Crap!" she cursed, throwing the mints into her mouth as she ran out of the common room and down the grand stair case. All the time praying that the stair cases wouldn't suddenly decide to move and they must have sensed her urgency because they remained still.

"Jane?" Alice shouted at her cousin as she passed her on the second floor landing and a few seconds later a broom whizzed past.

"Sorry Alice can't talk. Late. Quidditch," Jane yelled back.

Jane rushed past the many portraits that hung on the walls. "It is very unlady like to run," Anne Boyle remarked but Jane just ignored the ancient Queen and taking the stairs two at a time she hit the last hallway.

Jane ran full speed down to the school entrance, her hair whipping wildly behind her as she did so.

Blood began to pound in her ears as her breathing became laboured from sprinting down seven floors.

Just then Jane ran past the great hall and saw William, with a huge stack of books in his hands unknowingly walking straight into her path. Thinking fast she veered off to the right, just missing him but almost colliding into Christopher.

She twisted around to see if William was okay but saw that the end of her broomstick had knocked the books right out of his hands.

"Sorry," Jane called ,over her shoulder to the stunned Ravenclaw.

Unfortunately further down the hall two house elves popped out of nowhere and also got in her way. They squealed and ducked as she jumped over them.

This time Jane didn't bother to turn around but just waved over her head. "Sorry again." she yelled


	14. Why are you smiling so much?

Alice had her charms textbook propped open on her lap as she practised the twenty or so spells that she had learnt this week.

Despite her focus Alice did look up as the portrait door opened and to her surprise she saw Jane enter the common room at least forty five minutes later than she should have after a quidditch practise. "_They only last two hours and bit," _Alice thought. However what was even more strange was how starry eyed Jane looked, swaying into the room with a huge smile plastered across her face.

"Jane," Alice called from the sofa.

Jane moved to sit beside her cousin. "Hey what's wrong?" She asked, leaning against the sofa cushions.

Alice grinned. "Why are you smiling so much?"

Jane suddenly looked confused. "No I'm not," she said defensively.

"Yes you are." Alice moved closer to her cousin who bit her lip and smiled

sheepishly.

"What happened?" Alice demanded.

Jane looked fit to exploded as she held her hands to her face. "William kissed me,"

she whispered through her fingers.

"No way!" Alice shrieked as she hugged her cousin furiously. "How?…What?"

"Well it turns out that being the last one to get changed does have its up side." Jane began.

()()()()()()()()()()()

**Earlier that day**

For Jane her first quidditch practice had been tough yet a satisfying one. Although she had been training for nearly two and half hours now she could see how quickly she had gelled with her team. Therefore Jane had decided to take a well deserved shower in the changing rooms, instead of traipsing all the way back into school for one. The power shower was a blessed relief for her aching muscles and she could have stayed under the hot stream of water all day. Yet she came to notice that the skin at her fingertips had began to crinkle. _Yes I defiantly don't want to look like a wrinkled old prune. _

Jane stepped out of the cubicle and performed a quick drying spell before throwing on her clothes. The door creaked from the light yet chilly breeze that flowed into the changing room. "Damn it's such a cold day," Jane cursed as she stepped outside.

Her initial thought was how long had she been in the shower for because the Ravenclaw team had already started their Quidditch practice. The second thought was more urgent and overwhelming which was for her to get off the pitch as quick as could without embarrassing herself.

Although Jane couldn't help but sneak a quick glance and looked up to see William who was flying around at a crazy speed, weaving through the rest of his team mates and dodging bludgers at the same time. However Jane soon realized that she was staring at him so she dropped her gaze and quickened her pace. Then in that moment she heard a number of yells. She spun around to see what the commotion was all about and saw William lying on the grass, his broom a few yards away from him.

"What the hell," Jane breathed in panic whilst she run towards the crowd which had now formed around him.

She hurriedly pushed her way through his friends. "William?" Jane asked, her voice saturated with concern as she dropped to her knees. "Are you okay?"

William groaned as he held his chest and she could feel her heart become gripped with worry. Yet when his eyes fluttered open Jane felt calmed. The wet grass had soaked through her tights and all the Gryffindor could hear was silence.

"I'm alright," he told her as the corners of his mouth began to twitch.

Jane sighed in relief but then she came to notice that she and William were now the only ones on the quidditch pitch. "What the…"

He unexpectedly stood up and Jane followed him, her eyes wide and accusing.

"Do you think that's funny?" Her words were soft but they had an edge to them. "You actually scared me."

William held up his hands surrendering to her mild anger. "Sorry, I didn't know that you were so concerned about my welfare," he told her which caused Jane's cheeks to burn.

"You have to admit though I am a good actor," he challenged, smiling as he watched Jane fight back her laughter.

She folded her arms across her chest. "So…what was the point of your little stunt?"

William didn't reply and instead walked right up to her until he was only an inch away from her body, towering over her. Jane found that her arms had fallen to her side and her eyes had grown wider when his hand settled on the small of her back. She swallowed involuntarily as her heart hammered against her ribs. The mental block came next and she could no longer speak which made the Ravenclaw rather proud.

Jane lips parted on their own accord and sensing that she wouldn't protest William lowered his lips to hers. She responded shyly at first before becoming more eager as she placed her hands on his shoulders, balancing herself as she stood on tip-toe so she could kiss him more deeply.

William wrapped his arms around Jane's waist, trapping her against his chest. He sighed, contently as they parted but they were soon interrupted.

"Go William!" His team mates cheered as they emerged from their hiding places and Jane's face flushed.

"They were all in on it," he told Jane whilst she waved timidly at the grinning faces that now surrounded them. Jane felt relieved to find that his friends actually _wanted_ her to go out with him.

"Yes we were," Chris confirmed before nudging William, "He hasn't been able to stop thinking about you since that time he saw you in those shorts." he told Jane as he winked at her.

Jane felt like there was a fire raging beneath her skin but William just grinned down at her and nodded in agreement. Everyone laughed as Jane buried her face in William's shoulder, shying away from all the attention.


	15. Thunder

**Love Song:**** Thunder - boys like girls (No pun intended)**

* * *

**Tuesday morning: 2am**

Alice jumped as a flash of light streaked across the sky. Reluctantly, she peered out of the window to see a bright full moon shining through the rolling, murky clouds which floated past. A draft rushed up her silk camisole, causing her to shiver. She watched the savage waterfall of rain and the massive puddles that had formed down below.

Alice felt her heart shoot out of her chest as the sky suddenly rumbled. She jolted in her bed and her books tumbled to the ground.

"Shhh!" Alice hissed at the books.

The reason for her fear was that thunder and lightning was rare but when it came it was monstrous, almost apocalyptic. If you didn't believe in God, then it was times like these that made you reconsider, for it sounded like someone was angry up there. Alice hugged herself as she heard another crack of thunder.

The dorm was submerged in utter darkness and only the random explosions of lightning illuminated the room. "Damn why did I have to stay up?" Alice whispered to herself as she saw Jane's sleeping form and the rest of her friends who remained blissfully unaware of the rogue weather. The heavy rain continued to pound the roof of the Gryffindor tower. A slow smile crept across Alice's face as she noticed that Jane was grinning in her sleep. That is until another clap of thunder roared across the sky.

Alice retrieved her wand from underneath her pillow and stowed it in the pocket of her red pajama bottoms. The floor creaked as her feet met the old wood. She snuck past the rest of the beds and padded down the frigid, stone steps. All she could hear was an eerie silence in between the rests in the storm.

A strong glow issued from the common room. "_Maybe someone else is awake_," Alice thought hopefully as she rubbed her sore eyes and ventured on. The golden light was coming from the fireplace and cast shadows across the common room. Everything looked different in the night even the wallpaper seemed a darker shade of maroon.

Upon entering Alice noticed that all the portraits remained quiet and still. "_Great…it's so unfair...they can even sleep!"_

She walked on to see that the squashy red armchairs lay vacant as well as the sofa but there were two people standing beside the large, arched window.

The two figures seemed familiar. "Frank? Lily?" Alice asked sleepily and they whipped around.

Frank and Lily exchanged quick and worried glances before they both moved away from the window. There was a palpable tension that hung in the room like a bad smell.

Lily half smiled at Alice but there was unease in her eyes. "Well I'm tired I better go to bed" she stated, abruptly. Alice had barely time to open her mouth to reply before she disappeared. "_Damn! I'm sure I must have walked in on something."_

Tugging at the ribbon drawstrings of her trousers Alice turned to face Frank, who gestured for her to come closer. A warm smile spread across his face. "Can you not sleep?"

Just then a boom of thunder echoed above and she leapt up and her shoulders hunched. Alice laughed nervously. "Whenever there's thunder I usually can't sleep," she confessed, "so it's a good thing it doesn't happen often."

Frank twisted his fingers behind his back. "I can stay down here if you want me to?"

"_We really haven't been dating long_…" Alice thought, blushing and lowering her gaze before she spoke. "I…I…don't want to put you out of sleep, you can go up if you want."

He grinned. "No it's fine. I'll stay."

It was only now that Alice came to notice how his tight t- shirt revealed his defined abdominal muscles and when Frank moved to the sofa her pulse raced as she joined him. The fire continued to rage and soon enough she jumped again but this time Frank's arms hesitantly wrapped around her waist and he held her.

The warmth of his strong fingers seeped through her top and her stomach fluttered in response. "Sorry I'm being silly," Alice whispered.

She then felt his soft, shaky lips against her temple. "No, you're not silly," Frank reassured. A surge of electricity ran through him as Alice's hands settled on top of his and when she snuggled deeper into his embrace his breathe caught in his throat . By now the thunder no longer bothered her and she just sat in comfortable silence and was soon yawning. Alice could feel Frank's chest rise and fall against her back and his presence alone calmed her.

"Tired now are we?" Frank joked as he summoned a woolly blanket. Alice just nodded, lifting her legs so that she was lying across the sofa.

Frank smiled lovingly, down at her as he did the same before drawing the blanket over the both of them. "Am I boring you? That's why you're falling asleep" he teased softly.

"No it's because-" but Alice didn't finish as a yawn caused her eyes to water and her jaw to crack. She said something more but it came out all fuzzy, like her vision.

The last thing Alice heard was Frank chuckling as she drifted off, all the while wondering what she had said.


	16. Best pillow ever

**Love song: help me rhonda - Beach boys**

**

* * *

**

Alice felt herself drifting back into consciousness and the next thing she knew a brilliant white light was burning her closed lids.

_Urgh… _She shifted slightly, only to feel something move against her back. _"Beds don't move_," Alice thought idly as her eyes slowly opened and she gazed up at the large chandelier of the common room. _Eh?…_

At that moment an inaudible sound came from behind her and Alice sat bolt upright.

She twisted around and was met with Frank's peaceful face, a small smile playing upon his lips and the events of last night came rushing back. Her eyes darted about the room and she breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that it was empty. "_I could never live it down if anyone saw us asleep together." _Just the mere thought of a stranger walking in on such an intimate moment was enough to make Alice's entire complexion turn a tomato red.

Against her inner desires Alice wriggled out of Frank's hug before pulling the blanket right up to his chest. Quietly as she could Alice tiptoed past him but paused as she came to the archway underneath the foot of the stairs, leading to the girl's dormitory**. **Resting her head against the stone wall she admired Frank from afar. A wide smile stretched across her face. The sun bathed his hair in daylight and it seemed a chestnut colour instead of its usual shade of dark brown. By now Frank's mouth was hanging open a little and Alice giggled whilst she felt weird yet wonderful sensations fill her stomach. _Do I…Do I…love him?…_Alice felt her eyebrows shoot up as her heart filled with warmth. _**I do!**_

All of sudden loud voices could be heard on the other side of the fat lady's portrait and Alice flew up the spiral staircase, stopping to lean against the wall just beside the balcony.

Just at that moment she heard the door swing open. "Are you all right Moony?"

_Moony…Moony _Alice continued to mouth the name, trying to put it to a face.

Curious, she shuffled slightly out of her hiding place and looked down to see Sirius, James, Peter and Remus all standing in the common room.

Remus's lips curved up, weakly and he nodded. "_Remus is called Moony? That's such a weird nickname." _Alice's face fell though as she studied the state of Remus, his robes were torn and red, raw scratch marks shone through. Her brow wrinkled as he grimaced every time he moved.

Sirius grinned. "It was pretty rough weather to go gallivanting around the school grounds." James laughed in response whilst Peter shuddered at the memory.

Alice silently gasped. "_What have they been up to?" _She craned her neck further to see that the four boys had now turned their attention to Frank, smirking as they did so.

Sirius stalked closer to the sofa. "Rise and shine!" he yelled straight into Frank's ear.

"Ahh…Ahh…what the hell!" Frank screeched as he fought against the blanket that had become tangled around his body. Due to his wild thrashing Frank soon tumbled right off the edge of the sofa and with a thud he landed flat on his back.

Alice pressed her hands tightly against her mouth, smothering back the laughter that threatened to give her away. However there was no need for the four Gryffindor boys to hold back and so they howled with laughter; even Remus's fatigue disappeared as his eyes shined with mirth. Frank looked completely disorientated, now sitting up on the floor just staring up at his friends with his hair sticking up in all directions.

"What are you doing sleeping down here?" James asked, offering Frank his hand which he took.

Frank gazed about the room, frowning and scratching his cheek. "I…swear…I…" but he cut himself off as deep lines formed between his eyebrows.

He shook his head before turning to Remus. "Are you all right?"

Once again Remus nodded and Alice could feel her entire face scrunch. "_Why do they keep saying that?" _

She watched on as Frank rubbed his neck. "So…what excuse are you going to use this month?" he asked, chuckling. Remus just shrugged his shoulders.

"We'll think of something" James answered immediately. There was a close comradeship that was so evident in their voices that Alice didn't need to see the reassuring pats on Remus's back as they exchanged knowing smiles.

"Awwww," Alice squealed mutely but knowing that she had eavesdropped for far too long she made her way up to her dorm. Yet even by the time Alice spoke to Jane, had a shower and changed for breakfast, she still thought of the mystery that surrounded Remus. It was not that this was a new fascination but her interest had been furthered fuelled by the fact that she was now spending more time with him because of Frank.

()()()()()()()()()

Jane had already disappeared to meet William so Alice skipped alone back down the stairs and found Frank sitting alone in the common room.

He looked perfect as ever. "Hi. How come you're not at breakfast?" Alice asked as he stood up.

Frank instantly took her hand as if it was the most natural thing in the world. "I thought I would wait for you." He was going to say something further but decided against it and just closed his mouth. Their intertwined hands swayed gently back and forth as the couple set off for the great hall.

Alice squeezed his hand and Frank turned to face her. "Thanks for staying with me last night," she said, sheepishly.

Frank grinned prior to breathing a sigh of relief. "I knew I wasn't crazy," he muttered to low for her to hear.

Alice sucked in a breath. "I didn't say anything dumb did I?" They had now entered the great hall and the welcoming smells of cooked breakfast greeted them. Frank turned his head and gave her an impish smile.

He leaned forward, his lips resting against her ear as he whispered. "No. You only said that I was the best pillow you've ever had."

Alice could feel the intense heat on her cheeks as she used her long hair to hide her face. "O..oh okay."


	17. Halloween dance

**It's sunny and i'm happy :) Just discovered the harry potter and the half blood prince deleted scene with the song "In noctem" The scene was so beautiful i don't why it was not in the movie. [Snape's face is haunting] **

**If like me you haven't seen it check it out. **

* * *

The 31st of October had arrived and the annual Halloween feast was already underway. The candles in the great hall had been replaced with carved pumpkin lanterns, made by the game keeper himself and orange and black streamers covered the tables. Also much to Alice's discomfort large, live bats fluttered across the room.

Every inch of the tables were festooned with mini cauldrons filled to the brim with boiled sweets, whizochocs, mint humbugs and ice mice. As well as those there were huge towers of novelty cupcakes and toffee apples. Many of the first and second years were stuffing their faces with any sugary treat that they could get their hands on.

Laughing, Frank walked a liquorice spider closer to Alice which caused her to squeeze her eyes shut and hit him. " Frank Stop it," she squeaked and before Alice had a chance to open her eyes Frank stole a kiss from her. Alice tried to look annoyed, pressing her lips firmly together and trying not to smile at him._He knows full well how much I hate spiders with their long and numerous legs, scuttling around everywhere._ However she just ended up pouting which enticed Frank to kiss her again.

Nearly Headless Nick and the other ghost floated in and out of the hall except for the bloody baron who Alice guessed must be haunting the dungeons tonight.

An hour past and the feast disappeared. Dumbledore took his position at the front of the hall. "Please stand and move away from the tables," he requested, instead of commanding. Every student rose from their benches and moved. The odd instructions soon became clear though as the tables, on their own accord drifted down the hall and rested against the back wall.

Dumbledore smiled and this is when Alice came to notice that the frog choir had assembled behind him. "It gives me great pleasure to present the Hogwarts choir."

Alice looked on enviously as they began to sing. "_Their so talented"_. The melodic tones and wonderful Latin words held everyone's attention, well everyone's but the Slytherin's. After two songs the singers moved off to the sounds of warm clapping and the Orchestra was left behind. They played gentle and very slow music. The violins seemed to have a calming effect on the younger students who were all hopped- up on sugar.

By now some students had paired off to dance whilst those who didn't want to slinked to the back of the hall to sit. Alice tried to suppress an "Aww" as James offered Lily his hand. The head girl smiled, her eyes downcast as he led her to an empty space. Yet unbeknownst to Alice was that she was not the only one who watched the couple. From a corner tortured, black eyes followed Lily's every move and when she blushed, closing her eyes and leaning into James's embrace he flinched. Severus sat alone and appeared to be in almost physical pain as he watched the two Gryffindor's dance. His love, blissfully happy in the arms of another. No one was aware of his suffering why should they be - They were happy too.

Alice grinned because she had spotted William as he sought out Jane, striding towards her both nervous yet eager. He only had eyes for her, weaving through the swaying couples and girls who swooned over him without so much as a glance.

Someone cleared their throat beside Alice and her eyes snapped up. She bit her lip, smiling uncontrollably at Frank as he extended his hand and inclined his head, in a bow. "Will you honour me with a dance?"

Heart burning, Alice placed her cold palm on top of his warm one, silently accepting his offer. In return Frank flashed her a boyish grin and kissed her hand before piloting her towards a vacant space.

Soon his hands laid to rest on her hips while Alice draped her arms around Frank's shoulders. As their bodies pressed together she fought back her shy nature which instinctively told her to pull away. The couple then began to rock from side to side to the music just holding each other. Alice's eyes wandered no more, rather they just stared straight into depths of Frank's cinnamon brown ones.

Frank leaned forward, his face coming closer to hers and when skin touched skin Alice's breath faltered. His lips brushed against hers as soft as butterfly's wings. They lingered on her mouth, smiling he whispered. "Having fun?"

If dancing with him was a usual circumstance she would have hit him for his teasing but this time she decided to tease him back. "No I'm not, you're a horrible dancer," Alice whispered back and his smug expression wavered. She looked up at him, disappointed but as she felt his posture stiffen she could no longer find it in her heart to joke with him and ended up bursting into a fit of soft laughter.

Frank shook his head, feigning hurt. "You are wicked," he commented.

"Aw I am sorry," Alice replied, jutting out her lower lip but he continued to give her his sad eyes.

"What would it take for you to forgive me?" she asked innocently, batting her eyelids. Frank grinned down at her as he raised his eyebrows, to say that she knew what he wanted. Alice giggled and stood on her toes, pushing her lips harder against his as he hugged her closer to his body.

Once they parted Alice felt a rumble of laughter deep in his chest. "Looks like i have a rival for your affections," Frank stated as he looked over her head.

Confused, Alice twisted around to see that on the other side of the room Walter stood, glaring at Frank. He quickly looked away though when his eyes met Alice's. Utterly mortified Alice turned back to face Frank, blushing. "He's not your rival."

Then when she kissed Frank again his grin grew."Good to know," Frank said looking smug as he watched Walter stomp out of the hall.


	18. I know

**Song of the day: Imogen heap - let go**

Under the watchful eye and constant scrutiny of Madam Irma Pince, Alice took a seat beside a window. Madame Pince had been denounced the vulture of the library. Her features were harsh, she had an unflattering hooked - nose and her coal black hair was always severely held back in a bun. The librarian's waxy, white skin had given raise to the belief among some students that she was in fact a vampire. Her tight red lips were fixed in a constant grimace, waiting for 8pm to come so that she could kick out all the students and keep her precious books out of harms way.

Book cases towered over Alice on both sides. They stretched from the floor to the roof and were packed to the rafters with books, entombing her in words. She revelled in the smell of dust, parchment and ink which filled the room. Soon enough the desk in front of her was covered with an array of Defence against the dark arts books from the restriction section and her own textbooks, both old and new.

Alice started writing her essay, frantically scribbling down the ideas as each popped into her head, not wanting to miss anything. But these ideas were interspersed with images of her and Frank dancing. Alice's quill paused and she found herself smiling, and wishing that events that allowed them to dance occurred more often.

_Focus, Focus._ After two hours Alice placed her quill down, reaching up her arms and twining them around each other she stretched her back. Alice heard a crack and leant back in her chair with huge satisfaction at finishing her essay which was four scrolls long, each side covered in ink. Just then Remus passed her study area and Alice turned her head, watching him leave the library. _"Thank goodness he looks a lot better," _She thought, joyfully_. _He was so sweet and kind and to see him in pain was quite distressing but her mind soon drifted towards the mystery that surrounded him. Frank's comment in the three broomsticks came into her mind._ "…he's ill."_

_Remus disappears every month without fail. An illness that occurs every four weeks…_

Alice twirled her wand as she searched her mind for memories which included Remus. She suddenly remembered that day when she had eavesdropped in the common room. The conversation between James, Sirius, Frank and Remus was still as clear as day despite the fact three weeks had passed. The thunder the night before was equally vivid, along with the rain and the moon…none of these things were abnormal though. _Scary thunder, cold rain and a full Moon…moon…._Alice ran her hands through her hair, frustrated_… moon…moon-y…Moony_!

Suddenly everything clicked into place and Alice gasped loudly. "No…no way!" she cried. Some students were startled out of their reading due to her sudden outburst and they stared at her, mildly shocked. In an instant Madam Pince was at Alice's side, scolding her for disturbing the silence.

"Sorry, sorry," Alice stammered as the librarian left. Alice fumbled through the books that were strewn all over her desk, pulling out the one on dangerous and dark creatures. "_He makes excuse for his disappearances_." Frantically she flipped through the pages until she located the chapter regarding nocturnal beasts and the section on Werewolves.

**Lycanthropy derives from the Greek **_**lykoi**_**, "wolf" and **_**anthrōpos**_** "man". Lycanthropy is a magical illness known to spread from person to person by saliva to blood contact. When a individual Is bitten by a werewolf in wolf form he or she will become a werewolf themselves. They appear as a normal humans, though will often exhibit signs of illness as the full moon approaches. On every full moon, a werewolf will under go an excruciatingly painful transformation. **Alice felt her heart drop like a lead bullet. "_Oh poor Remus."_

**They lose the ability to think in a human way becoming highly aggressive towards humans even to those whom they are close. The ministry of magic classification for such a beast is XXXXX (when in wolf form). This rating signifies that werewolves are known to be wizard killers and impossible to train or domesticate. **

As she read the final sentence Alice felt her hand drift to cover her heart which was now laden with sadness. **At present there is no known cure for this infliction.**

"Alice! … Al!" Frank called much to the chagrin of Madame Pince. Alice quickly shoved her books into her bag with unusual haste and by the time Frank had found her she had composed herself, pretending to proof read her essay. "I just can't believe this...Remus a werewolf...who did that to him?" Alice thought, anger rising inside her at the question.

Just then Frank appeared, "There you are." A caring expression graced his features as he laid his eyes on her. " Hey Alice, honestly I think you should take a break from studying."

Alice just nodded, half smiling but she couldn't keep up the pretence and soon her face began to crumble. She started to fidget as she stared down at her lap.

Frank's face dropped immediately. "What's wrong? Are you not feeling well? Is it your family?" A million frenzied questions left his mouth but she just shook her head to each one. Alice couldn't look directly at Frank because she knew she couldn't lie straight to his face.

Frank kneeled beside her and took her hands into his as she struggled to speak. "Frank…I…" she started but he just waited patiently, rubbing the pads of his thumbs across her palms.

She shook her head, frustrated as she tightened her grip on Frank's hand. "I know…" she began again and he cupped her chin, forcing her to look at him. "I… I know about Remus's… condition."

As soon as the words had left her mouth she could see a flash of panic streak across Frank's eyes, penetrating the very depths of them. Yet as quickly as it had come it was gone and he was nothing but indifferent. "And?…"

Alice's throat felt a little scratchy. "I just feel so sad for him, being in so much pain because he doesn't deserve it," she said which caused Frank exhale loudly, in relief.

A shaky laughter broke through her lips. "What? Did you think I would throw away my friendship with Remus just because I've found out his secret?"

Frank bit his lower lip and nodded. This caused Alice to arch her eyebrows. "Don't you know that I would never do that?"

He stood up, smiling slowly "Alice, I like to think that I know you better than most," he confessed, "but it is impossible to predict people's reaction to such news."

Frank squeezed her hands. "It feels so great that I don't have to keep it from you now. " His smile dimmed. "I'm sorry that I kept you in the dark."

Alice shook her head frantically. "No no that's why I respect you so much…" Frank looked completely confused. "I wouldn't expect you tell me everything Frank, especially secrets that your friends told you in confidence," she finished.

Frank just looked down at his girlfriend completely astounded and all he could do was kiss her soundly. Although Alice was pleasantly surprised by his actions she opened her mouth to ask "what was that for?"

However Frank spoke first. "You're amazing," he stated plainly.

Alice just waved off the flattery, grinning. "Well I have been told," she teased before her expression turned sober. "I need to talk to Remus."

"He passed me in the hallway," Frank told Alice. "I think he was heading for the viaduct." She breathed in sharply before grabbing her bag and moving off but not until she hugged Frank and kissed him goodbye.

* * *

Bold text edited from harry potter wiki


	19. What to say?

"_How do I go about this?"_

Alice was drawing blanks as to how she could even begin to tell Remus that she knew his secret, which was unfortunate because she had already reached the stone bridge. Alice loved spending time on the viaduct because it was just like you were standing in the sky. Although it was a beautiful day- the sun shining and the soft, fully clouds it was still awfully chilly. As Alice proceed she saw a solitary figure leaning against one of the many arches. _"Deep breaths. Deep breaths." _However as soon as she was a few feet away from Remus she lost her nerve, turning quickly around to go back the way she came.

"Alice?" Remus called.

Reluctantly she spun around. "Hi." Alice faked a smile, full of guilt and discomfort but he didn't seem to notice. "Ermm…" Remus looked at her confused. "_Okay time to tackle this head on," _Alice thought, dropping her bag at her feet.

She rubbed her sweaty hands together. "Okay Remus we haven't known each other for a long time but I just want you too know that I'm not a nosy person and I don't go sniffing around peoples private business..."

He quirked his eyebrows, smiling. "Oh …okay"

Alice began again, pointing at him. "And you know I think you're such a nice guy and I'm not a judgemental person at all. I like to think I'm quite open minded actually…" she declared and soon enough her words began to run into each other as she talked for at least a solid three minutes.

Remus raised his hand to stop her, laughing. "Seriously Alice what are you trying to get at?"

Alice began to pace before stopping right in front of him. Her eyes flickered on his healed wounds for a moment. "I…." she couldn't seem to speak as she felt her throat constrict. However he looked thoroughly amused. "I know that you're a…werewolf." She whispered the last part since she saw some first years were approaching. Remus paled immediately and jumped away from her. His Adam's apple bobbing like crazy as he swallowed excessively.

Alice launched into her not so smooth speech. "Trust me Remus it doesn't change anything…I…I think you're so brave and amazing that you still see the best in people even after what has happened to you."

This seemed to calm him but his eyes were still wider than normal. With a shaky hand Remus smoothed down his robes. "Oh I see."

Knowing that the initial shock was slowly fading Alice moved closer, leaning against the stone wall. "I understand why Frank didn't tell me but I was just wondering why you didn't trust me enough to tell me?" she asked, hurt in her eyes.

Remus shuffled around a bit before subconsciously covering the new scars on his arms. "Alice, it's nothing about trust. I mean I never even told James or anyone else for that matter."

"Really?" Alice breathed as her eyes shot open.

He nodded. "James, Peter and Sirius found out in second year, Lily in fourth year and Frank in fifth year." Remus scratched his chin and his smile grew. "There was another reason I didn't tell you."

Alice's eyebrows knitted together. "Well…Frank's had a major crush on you for ages" he started.

Alice blushed in response with a look of pure disbelief. "Really?"

Remus chuckled. "Yeah, we use to tease him about it all the time," he informed, "So for some reason I felt that if you found out that Frank was friends with a werewolf you would like him less."

Alice threw her arms in the air. "Remus that's ridiculous!" she stated but he just shrugged.

Alice watched as Remus tugged on his collar and she smiled. "You're such a great person," she stated, hugging him. But Remus felt extremely awkward and quickly pulled back.

"Oooh what's going on here?"

They both turned around to see Frank walking towards them, grinning.

Alice ran up to him, giggling and without a second thought she buried her hands into the soft folds of Frank's robes and wrapped her arms around his waist.

Frank draped his arm around Alice's shoulder and hugged her closer to his body. "Stealing my girlfriend with your charm, Remus?" he asked and by the time they had reached Remus, his ears were blazing red.

"Frank stop it," Alice chided, laughing as she nudged his chest.

Smirking, Frank gave a challenging look and leaned down until his lips hovered over hers. "Are you going to make me?"

Gazing up at him Alice arched her eyebrows. "If you want?" she teased.

They however were interrupted when Remus cleared his throat and was looking anywhere but at the couple.

Frank laughed and reluctantly turned his attention to his friend. "So…I take it you and Alice have talked."

Alice smiled at Remus. "Yes we have. But does he always have to act..."

"Like a saint," Frank finished. "Yep."


	20. The first game

**Song of the day: Ryan adams- wonderwall (Fantastic cover)**

* * *

Orson had suddenly fallen ill during the night, so for the first quidditch match of the year Gryffindor was a man down. The team was assembled in the common room and they watched on as their captain pace back and forth near the fire place. The rogue weather pounded against the windows.

Sirius was perched on a nearby armchair. "Come on James we need to find someone in the next 10 minutes."

Remus then nudged Frank but he shook his head, paling immediately."No way!"

This seemed to draw everyone's attention.

"Oh come on Frank please," the entire teamed begged and James's eyes lit up at the suggestion.

Frank continued to shake his head vigorously as he folded his arms across his chest. "But I haven't even been to a single training session."

Alice then moved away from Jane to comfort him. She laid her hands on Frank's arms "Honestly Frank you will be fine and they really need your help." He ignored everyone else in the room but her. Everything about Alice from her posture to her encouraging smile showed the confidence she had in him. He wasn't the incompetent on a broom, but he wasn't particularly skilled either, especially in such harsh weather. Yet every time Frank gazed at Alice's face she just seemed to project unwavering belief in him.

Frank groaned. "Okay fine." The room erupted into a course of shouts and everyone clapped him on the back as they hurriedly left for the quidditch pitch.

Alice kissed Frank's cheek as he was about to leave. "You'll do great."

She watched him as he jogged to catch up with the team who were already walking down the stairs.

"Thanks for that." Alice spun around and saw James walking towards her.

Alice just shook her head as they walked together. "James I didn't do anything."

The captain then chuckled. "Are you kidding me Alice! Frank would do anything if you asked him to."

This statement caused her cheeks to flare and James continued to laugh to himself as he ran after his team.

()()()()()()()()()()

The rain was falling thick and fast.

Jane followed her team mates as they soared onto the pitch. She could feel the power emanating from her broom as she took her position, hovering at least fifty feet above the ground.

The crowd were nothing more than a sea of ants, sheltering under umbrellas. Yet their jeers and shouts echoed through the air. This coupled with the unforgiving rain rendered her completely deaf.

The smell of freshly mowed grass was pungent in the air.

Jane's hair was already soaking wet and her robes had started to cling to her body.

James drifted towards Jane and she watched intrigued as the water reflected off his glasses. Her mind immediately drew the conclusion that Lily had charmed his glasses. As the seeker approached her, he pointed straight ahead of him. Jane followed his gaze to the Ravenclaw team who were assembled, in a semi circle opposite them.

"Is your boyfriend over there going to distract you?" he shouted despite how close they were.

At that moment William looked up at the pair of Gryffindor's.

Jane grinned as she turned to James. "No way. I'm here to win," she shouted back.

He laughed outright. "So house loyalty rules over relationships. Nice…"

Just then James was interrupted by Madame Hooch who was now drifting between the two teams.

"Are you ready?" she shouted over the roar of the storm.

Everyone nodded and before Jane knew it the Quaffle was released. Immediately Sirius bolted forward, grabbing the red ball and went hurtling to the other end of the pitch. The game was truly on as everyone scattered.

Jane found it hard to distinguish who in fact was on her team. Nevertheless she still raced forward, battling against the wind. Luckily she found Sirius within a couple of minutes and fell behind him, though there was no need as he scored easily.

The quaffle was now in the Ravenclaw's possession and was carried half way down the pitch before Jane intercepted. One of her hands gripped onto her broom for dear life whilst the other was clamped the quaffle.

A Ravenclaw chaser appeared out of nowhere and was right on her tail. Leaning her body flat against her broom Jane dived for the lowest goal post. Feeling pressured by the chaser hounding her, the Gryffindor hurled the quaffle without thinking and fortunately it soared through the hoop.

Jane soon lost track of time as well as the score. She would occasionally spot the blurred outline of Frank every now and then beside the Ravenclaw's goal posts.

The sky had grown incredibly dark and Jane was now shivering violently. The bitter northern air clawed away at her hands, making it harder and harder for her to hold onto her broom._Come on James! Find that bloody snitch so we can end this game. _Jane was beyond caring whether they won or not.

The game proceeded as such: Ravenclaw would be in possession and then score. Then Gryffindor would steal the Quaffle back at score at least twice.

By now the edges of Jane's flying goggles were sharply digging into the soft skin around her eyes. She could barely see a thing through them as she sought out Frank and Sirius.

"Damn!" Jane cursed

Suddenly a bludger shot past her, narrowly missing her head. Twisting around, Jane saw the ball of iron disappear into the grey clouds. A faint shout caused her to whip her head back around, only to see another bludger soaring towards her. Only two feet away now all Jane had time to do was scream and squeeze her eyes shut. Her body tensed as she braced herself for the blow. The pain however didn't come. She felt nothing, not the crushing sensation of metal breaking bone. _Have I passed out?_ Jane cracked her eyes open. There was someone flying in front of her with a bat in hand. "Derek?" she shouted expecting the Gryffindor to turn around. She wasn't annoyed with him or Robert after all they had three chasers to cover.

To her utter shock though the figure turned around and she was met with those brilliant blue eyes. Jane just stared at William, utterly dumbfounded and her mouth fell open slightly.

Why was here? He had his own team to protect.

William looked indescribably handsome in the rough weather with his hair wet and tousled. He seemed so strong and in control as he sat straight up on his broom with his shoulders thrown back despite the 35 miles per hour wind.

He studied her with a concerned expression. "Are you okay?" he yelled.

Jane just nodded but had no time to thank William as he had already disappeared.

All of a sudden she heard the sharp blasts of a whistle and she thanked the lord that the game had ended.

()()()()()()()()()()

Frank laid his head to rest against the wall as he sat on the bench in the Gryffindor changing room, along with the rest of the team. Despite how exhausted everyone was they all had smiles on their faces. Upon touching back down to earth Madame Hooch had declared Gryffindor the winners.

Just then the buzz of conversation wavered as the door swung open and Lily and Alice flew in. They wrestled to close the door on the unforgiving gusts of wind but they managed to successively slam it shut.

Lily went straight towards James whilst Alice looked around for Jane but she was nowhere to be found. Alice then spotted Frank sitting in the corner with his eyes closed. He looked so tired and was still in his soaking wet robes.

Alice grabbed a nearby towel and dropped it on Frank's head. Before he could react she started to rub his hair dry through the fluffy towel. After a couple of minutes Alice stopped and her knees brushed against Frank as she sat opposite him.

Grinning, he pushed the towel back so he could see her. "Thanks."

Alice smiled at her boyfriend. "You were amazing."

Frank chuckled. "Alice you couldn't even see me."

Her mouth fell open at the accusation. "I could!" she defended.

He quirked his eyebrows. "Alice?"

"Honestly I had by Omnioculars and you scored at least thirty times." Alice continued on.

Frank just nodded showing that he agreed with Alice but she knew that he didn't believe her. Suddenly Alice grabbed the corners of the towel, which was still draped on Frank's head and drew him to her until their lips met.

When she pulled away she narrowed her eyes at him. "I did."

Frank's eyes shone and he laughed, holding up his hands. "Okay, okay, Alice you did see me." His lips then formed a devilish smile as he began to reel her into his embrace.

Alice's eyes grew wide as they touched, he was so cold. As much as she loved Frank there was no way she wanted to feel as frozen as he probably was now.

"Oh come on Alice you're my girlfriend and we are meant to share," Frank teased.

She struggled against him, laughing. "Frank get off."

Alice then squeaked as her back met his chest. The water which Frank's robes had retained now seeped through her clothes. She fought against his embrace. "Frank, stop it!" she squealed as she felt herself losing some heat. Frank however did not comply and just held his girlfriend. It was no use to continue on protesting as she was already starting to shiver.

"I feel warmer now," Frank stated, happily.

Scowling, Alice slapped Frank's arm as she twisted around in his lap. She tried to retain her scowl but failed miserably as he just ended up making her laugh.

Frank leaned forward and brushed his nose against hers before nuzzling her neck. Alice huffed annoyed at how she could not be annoyed at him for too long.

He soon cupped the back of her head and kissed her soundly. Before Frank moved away though Alice nipped his lower lip, confirming that she was still slightly displeased with him. Yet Frank just grinned at her and playfully growled.


	21. Snow war

**Song of the day: David Bowie - letters to Hermione**

* * *

By now Autumn had given way to the harsh Scottish winter.

The black lake had frozen over and the Whomping Willow had shed its dead leaves, but the wild tree was by no means hibernating. Despite the fact that the cold reached the students' bones, causing sharp chills to rack their bodies, the mood was not gloomy at Hogwarts, rather it was joyous. Since the arrival of the snow many of the students had degenerated into younger versions of themselves. It was peculiar but snow had the power to cause one to regress into a state of child- like wonderment.

Alice skipped her way down to the quad where a couple of first year Hufflepuffs were building a snowman. She found herself smiling as she watched them, for their eyes shone with happiness and their excited laughter was infectious. Leaning against a nearby pillar, Alice soon felt something cold touch her face. She tilted her head up to gaze at the murky, grey clouds. Soft flakes of snow drifted lazily down from the heavens and Alice found herself stretching out to touch the crystallised ice. It was like Hogwarts was a miniature castle in a snow globe. The towers and spirals of the castle looked as though they were dusted with icing sugar.

You could no longer distinguish time as the mornings looked just like the afternoons for the sky remained constantly overcast, but this did not dampen anyone's spirits.

The ground was nothing more than a white expanse of snow, stretching as far as the eye could see and looking almost like unfolded angel's wings.

Suddenly Alice felt those all too familiar arms wrap around her waist yet she still jumped.

Frank chuckled. "Still not use to my surprise attacks?"

Alice then hugged him back. "Well as much as I love them Frank, no I haven't."

He then pressed his lips to her cheek as he held her closer to his chest. The couple soon lapsed into comfortable silence as they both watched the first years, who were by now struggling to place the head onto their snowman.

After a few minutes Alice twisted around in his embrace. She giggled as she saw Frank's face because the tip of his nose was bright pink as well as his ears.

Alice rubbed her gloved hand over Frank's nose. "Aww you've got a cold nose."

He grinned in response before catching her hand and holding it to the side. The mirth in the Frank's eyes soon faded into a passionate intensity. Alice mirrored his gaze and soon she found herself standing on her tip toes, moving closer to him. Their shallow breaths mingled and came out in small puffs of white cloud. Alice's eyes then closed as their lips met. Despite how many times they had kissed there was still hesitation on both parts.

Alice trembled as Frank held her face between his hands so that he could deepen the kiss. Her body was responding on its own accord as she found herself pressing into the hard contours of his body. Her cheeks were scorching hot and sharp tingles coursed through her muscles. Alice then teasingly pulled away from Frank only to have him dive back down for more.

The cold no longer bothered the pair as their senses were consumed by the sweet smells of each other and the feel of their tender lips battling for control.

The couple even forgot that they were in the Quad as they were so absorbed in each other, that is until something solid and frigid hit Frank's side. They jumped apart and Alice squealed, whipping around to see Sirius walking towards them.

"Honestly you two are scarring little children" he shouted. It was only now that Alice came to notice the horrified first years who had finished constructing their snowman and they were now staring at her.

Remus soon came into view along with James, who was carrying a giggling Lily on his back.

Alice then watched as Frank scooped up a handful of snow and moulded it into a ball before hurling it at Sirius. He skilfully dodged it which irritated Frank until a snowball hit his chest.

Frank grinned at Alice. "Nice shot."

In no time at all the snowball fight between Sirius and Frank had blown into a full on war.

There were now two low walls of snow constructed on either side of the Quad. The first years had fled to a safer part of the castle whilst the entire Gryffindor house had descended upon the Quad. There were two teams; Frank, Alice and Remus were on one side whilst Sirius, James and Lily were on the other.

The other Gryffindor's randomly joined either team but, to no surprise, Walter went to Sirius's team, so he had an excuse to aim at Frank.

After about 10 minutes Alice's coat was completely drenched from the number of times she had been hit. Alice peeped over the wall for a mere second but it was enough time for a snowball to just graze over her head. She quickly ducked back down and leant her back against the wall but snowballs continued to rain down around her.

Alice watched as Frank shuffled away from Remus and came towards her.

Giggling, she smiled at him. "Look what you've done."

Frank just grinned. "Are you ready?"

Alice nodded as she held a snowball in her hand as did he. "Three, two…," she counted down.

"One!" Frank shouted and they both stood up, lobbing their snowballs. Alice saw hers hit Sirius's head and Frank's flew In James's direction.

The couple laughed at their friends scowls before they were replaced with a look of determination. Too caught up in her mirth, Alice didn't notice the snowball that was coming her way.

She then felt Frank embracing her before a soft thud vibrated through him and into her body.

Alice's eyes shone as she gazed up at her boyfriend. "Aww you took a snowball for me," she cooed

Frank puffed out his chest. "Well I wasn't sorted into Gryffindor for nothing." He then took her hand and pulled her down behind the wall as an impish smile graced his lips. "You can thank me later."

All of a sudden all of the snowballs paused in the air. Alice pointed to the one above just above Frank's head which was frozen in the sky. _Eh?_

The two teams both stood up from behind their walls to see what was going on. There right in the middle of No Man's Land stood Professor McGonagall with her arms crossed.

"Everyone get to your classes. Now," she demanded before pointing to Frank and Sirius. "I have been informed by a pair of Hufflepuffs that you two were responsible for this."

Frank huffed as the head of house gestured for him to follow her.

He turned to Alice, rubbing his hand up and down her arm. "I'll see you later."

Alice just nodded before he and Sirius both disappeared.

She made her way towards the Gryffindor common room since she didn't have a class to go to. As Alice began to walk she began to shrug out of her coat. Then out of nowhere Walter appeared next to her.

She inwardly groaned before feigning a smile. Apparently having a boyfriend didn't stop him from persistently talking to her. "Hi Walter."

The sixth year beamed at her. "Hi."

Walter then paused for a moment. "Here I can dry that for you," he insisted as he eagerly took her sodden coat from her hands. Alice was about to protest but he was already drawing out his wand.

In his haste though the young wizard used the wrong spell. "In…"

It was like everything was in slow motion as Alice tried to grab her coat back but it was too late.

"…Incendio," Walter finished and in an instant her coat burst into flames around her. The sudden orange flare caused passersby to turn and gawp.

Horrified, Walter's eyes were bulging and he quickly turned to face her. "Oh…oh my god sorry…A… Alice…I didn't mean to do that," he stumbled over himself as he held up his hands. A few sixth year Gryffindor girls who had witnessed the incident gave Alice a sympathetic smile as they past her.

Alice gritted her teeth together, sure she knew that he was only trying to be helpful but Walter was really starting to grind away at her patience.

She forced a smile. "Its fine…I better go." Alice tried her level best to keep the edge of annoyance out of her voice but it came through despite her efforts. Walter looked like an injured puppy as he watched her hurriedly climb the stairs, muttering away to herself to keep calm.


	22. Your smart

**This is a slight deviation from the Alice and Frank story. (A Jane and William chapter)**

**Song of the day:** A dustland fairytale - The killers

* * *

**Later on that day**

The staircase was barely wide enough to accommodate one person therefore Jane fell in behind William as they ascended up the spiralling steps, climbing their way up the Ravenclaw tower. She was not accustomed to such dizzying heights and so it felt like an eternity until William finally reached a solid oak door. Oddly enough though the door was bare apart from a copper coloured knocker in the form of an eagle.

Jane watched intrigued as it opened its beak and began to speak. "When you see it you don't use it but when you use it you don't see it. What am I?"

Bewildered the Gryffindor stared at the eagle. _Wow I'm glad that I only need to recite a password! _Jane's forehead creased as she replayed the question however there was no need as in that moment she heard William's answer.

"A casket," he stated simply and the door swung open.

Jane's mouth fell open slightly and she looked up at William, amazement shining in her eyes- He was so nonchalant in his cleverness.

When William turned to face her, he was a picture of confusion.. "What's wrong?"

Jane just shook her head before smiling at him. "I don't think I will ever get accustomed to how smart you are."

William just rubbed the back of his neck and shrugged off the compliment but Jane placed her hand on his chest.

"Honestly William you are _so_ clever," she said solemnly.

William was unable to meet her eyes as he spoke. "Er…thanks…so are you." He then pointed to the open door "We should go in."

Jane's eyes shot open and she shook her head furiously. "Oh no… no I couldn't do that. It's against the rules," she whispered the last part. William found himself chuckling as he studied his girlfriend's face. Her horrified expression made it seem like he had just suggested for her to break a wizarding law rather than a silly school rule.

Despite her protests William just took Jane by the hand and led her forward. "Come on," he laughingly urged.

Jane fought against him but the Ravenclaw was easily stronger.

"Will!" she quietly hissed as he pulled her into the common room. William felt a sudden warmth spread through his chest at the little nickname his girlfriend had given him on a whim. However the young witch was too busy scanning the room to notice his tender smile.

After a couple of minutes of her eyes darting from side to side Jane was finally convinced that there was nobody else in the room. It relaxed her in an instant and it was only now that she began to notice the splendour of the common room.

She gasped. The room was not a conventional box shaped one, instead it was a circular room with four, wide arched windows which gave you a 360° view of the snow capped mountains.

It was as if the room was floating in mid air and the domed ceiling which had bright silvery stars painted on it also gave this impression. The floor resembled stormy sea water as it was nothing more than a stretch of midnight blue carpet. A marble statue of Rowena stood proudly to the right.

The room contained the usual array of comfy chairs and wooden desks but it did, however contain more bookshelves which were crammed full with dusty old books. Some books were beaten up so badly that they actually looked like they might have been around when the founder of Ravenclaw was at Hogwarts herself.

"Wow…this is so much better than the Gryffindor common room," Jane commented.

William smirked as he grabbed her by the waist and hugged her to his body. "Well maybe you should change house then." he remarked and before Jane could reply he brought his warm lips down to her parted ones. His mouth was soft and welcoming and she could taste his fresh peppermint breath . On an Impulse Jane threaded her fingers into the dark masses of his hair.

He kissed her thoroughly, using his tongue, teeth and all.

She shivered as William rubbed his hands up and down her hips

Eventually he pulled away from the blushing witch and Jane was left all warm and trembling. She would never get use to his kisses. A minute later came Jane's breathily reply. "You make quite a convincing argument."

The couple however were soon interrupted. "Whoa…hello!" came a voice. Both William and Jane, still in each others arms twisted around to see Christopher.

He had appeared from behind the statue of Rowena and he was shielding his eyes as he snickered away. "Lets keep it PG rated shall we."

William just chuckled before he turned his attention back to his beautiful Gryffindor, whose cheeks were a darker shade of red. "I'll get my Herbology kit and then we can go."

Jane groaned as she had forgotten that they still had to finish their project.

Reluctantly William left Jane's side and as he past Christopher to get to the dorms he punched his best friend in the arm.

Christopher rubbed the stinging area on his upper arm but he still smiled. "Your boyfriend hurts me like this every time I embarrass you."

Jane giggled as she sat on a nearby sofa. "So What have you been up too?"

Christopher dropped himself into an armchair beside her. "Nothing much. You know the usual just Quidditch practise…

However he was then suddenly cut off as the door swung open and Jane could hear the faint echo of a bell. A number of Ravenclaw's came shuffling in.

The sudden crowd caused Jane to shrink back in her chair. "I feel like a sore, _red _thumb." she moaned, pointing at her uniform.

Christopher waved off her worry. "Nah its fine…if you were a Slytherin it would be a different story." He was right though nobody really paid her any attention as some students went rushing straight to their rooms to get their books for the next class. Whilst others grouped off and sat at the far ends of the common room.

Just then William re- appeared and Jane stood up, getting ready to leave. Yet he seemed to have other plans as he brought his lips to hers. At the same time he eased himself onto the sofa before pulling her onto his lap. "Maybe we can do some work later on?" William murmured.

His hot breath tickled her nose and his sparkling eyes met hers. _God they are so blue! _It was like staring into the depths of the sky.

The Gryffindor giggled as she peppered William's mouth with feather light kisses. "I think that's a good idea"

Chris then coughed, loudly. "The third wheel is still here you know."

Reluctantly the couple turned their attention to Christopher and in a second all three of them burst into laughter


	23. A mystery solved

**My two favourite things music and literature**

**Romeo and Juliet - the Killers (Cover, better than the original….Ooo yes I said it sorry)**

* * *

The Christmas holidays had come and at this time of the year Hogwarts had that infinite and uncontrollable air of excitement as the students became jolly. The holidays had finally arrived and they would be able to go home and see their families. Even the strictest of teachers had eased the amount of homework as the majority got into the festive mood.

It was 9am on Saturday and students were trying to push their way through the piles of snow as they headed towards Hogsmeade. The wheels on everyone's trunks seemed to have a life of their own as they skidded around. However seven floors up in Gryffindor tower, Alice was amongst the last of the students who were still running around, trying to get ready. The train from Hogsmeade to Kings Cross station was about to leave in under 20 minutes

Lily walked into Alice's dorm to see her frantically throwing all her belongings into her trunk. "You're not ready yet?" she asked, shocked.

Alice continued to empty out her drawers. "Okay this is really not the best time to state the obvious."

Lily just laughed before moving closer to her friend. Yet when she spotted Alice's textbooks scattered on her bed, she frowned. _God Alice if you work any harder you're going to burn yourself out!_

Getting on her hands and knees Alice fumbled around underneath her bed to scoop out a very angry looking Olly.

Lily couldn't help but chuckle at the sulking cat. "Looks like someone is jealous that you've been spending all your time with Frank."

Alice smiled guiltily before her eyebrows knitted together as she turned to face Lily. "You do realize that your smiling at my potions book?"

The head girl however said nothing and instead just continued to grin as she placed the book into Alice's trunk. "I'll meet you outside the Great Hall. I've just got to see Professor Slughorn."

With a nod Alice turned her attention back to packing and soon enough she was hurrying down the many stairs. Hogwarts was beautifully decorated and this was mostly thanks to the efforts of Professor Flitwick. The halls were lined with rows and rows of gold and silver tinsel. There were tiny fairy lights that covered every inch of the ceilings and glittered like tiny stars of light of every colour imaginable.

Alice had by now reached the Great Hall and the twelve giant Christmas trees caught her attention as well as the charms teacher himself standing on a stool. His wand was raised and she watched on as fifteen or so glass baubles floated up and surrounded the tree at the end of the hall.

Alice's eyes scanned the empty room but they soon became fixed on a solitude figure, sitting in the far corner. The boys' lank hair hid his face and he had his nose buried in a book. Yet the Slytherin seemed to be more feigning to read. She could tell this by how his eyes remained still on the page rather than following the story. He was just staring at the words. Embarrassingly Alice knew this because she used to do the same thing when she used to watch Frank out of the corner of her eye during classes.

_Poor Severus._

Despite how much Alice disliked Snape and the small fact that he had pointed his wand at her, his loneliness saddened her. It was Christmas after all and no one ever stayed at school_. Looks like he has no one to share the holidays with_. Alice felt her stomach clench at the thought. After all she could sympathize with anyone, just imaging herself in their shoes was enough. Unfortunately though, Snape looked up at that moment and glared at Alice. Yet when she did not return the gesture his anger oddly seemed to increase. Perhaps it was the sympathy that shone from her eyes which he must have taken for pity.

Just then Lily appeared and weaved her arm through Alice's. "Hey"

Alice smiled yet she could not help but watch Severus as he perked up ever so slightly as he spotted Lily.

However the Head Girl didn't even notice him as she unburdened Alice by taking Olly.

Alice thanked her friend and in no time at all the pair were running as fast as they could, leaving behind the forlorn Snape.

Alice could feel her breathing become laboured as she ran across the grounds, the artic air causing her lungs to seize and at the same time caused her skin to sting. At this moment she cursed Walter good and proper for destroying her coat.

()()()()()()()()()

**Three hours later**

Half way through the journey Alice with the tea trolley came bumbling down the narrow corridor. She rolled her eyes as Sirius eagerly stood up when the old lady stopped outside their compartment. He struggled to slide the door shut behind him as his arms were full with sugary treats. Since becoming friends with Sirius Alice had only now come to realize how much he actually ate, which was surprising considering his thin frame. She found herself smiling though as Sirius gestured for Remus to help himself.

The door then slid open again and James entered the compartment, holding Lily under a loving arm.

Alice huddled closer to Frank as both Remus and Sirius squeezed in beside them so that the couple could sit in the opposite seats. Unlike his two friends Frank wasn't complaining in slightest about the lack of space. He was greatly enjoying having Alice pressed up against him.

"Oh Alice before I forget this is for you?" Lily said suddenly as she handed Alice a scroll of parchment. There was an odd grin that was plastered across Lily's face which un- nerved her. Upon unravelling the scroll Alice gasped. It was a list of her grades for her potion essays and she had received an outstanding for each and every one.

Lily's grin grew wider."Professor Slughorn was really impressed…Do you think it has anything to do with that potions book of yours?"

Alice then felt Frank shift beside her.

"I think so. I really wish I knew who it was from though…it's a fantastic book!" Alice gushed the last part. By now everyone in the compartment was grinning apart from Frank.

Lily nodded. "Yes I do believe that the person should receive their overdue credit."

Alice felt her head snap up in an instant. "Do you know who it's from?"

Lily just turned to look at Frank. "Yes I do…" but when she didn't elaborate Alice frowned.

That is until Alice followed Lily's eye line as she continued to stare at Frank.

Suddenly something clicked in Alice's mind and she gasped. Her eyes bulged as her hands flew to cover her expanding heart. She felt like she had just swallowed a glass of butterbeer. "No…really…YOU?" Alice managed to breathe out.

At this point Frank was now sitting stiff and immobile.

Sirius then chipped in. "Although I do believe, me, Remus and James deserve some credit."

"Yeah after all we did help Frank break into Professor McGonagall's office to get your address," James added.

Never in her wildest dreams had Alice thought that on that August morning Frank was the one behind such a thoughtful gift. She surely felt like her heart would burst out of her chest if it continued to swell at this rate. Alice had no idea why her voice came out all shaky as she placed her hand on Frank's arm. "I just….I…eh…I can't believe it." Alice was barely aware of the door sliding silent shut behind her as all the marauders as well as Lily left, so that the couple were alone. It was stupid but Alice could feel her eyes well up…happy tears…she had never cried with happiness in her entire life. She quickly blinked them away though when a faint blush crept across Frank's face. Her fingers were now resting on her gaping mouth-Alice could say no more.

It was at this point that Frank beside her decided that it was now his turn to speak."I don't know why you're so surprised?" Frank asked as a slow sheepish smile crept across his face.

Alice just shook her head. "It's just you didn't even claim to have sent such an amazing gift…I …" she struggled. "I never thought that you liked me back then

Frank just chuckled. "Why is that so hard to believe?"

The words tumbled out before Alice could stop them"…Because I've liked you since fifth year. "She blushed a deep red at the confession as she gazed down at her lap.

Frank then crooked his fingers underneath her chin and gently pushed her head up. Those dimples and boyish grin that Alice had seen on the first day of term had appeared. Alice melted as Frank ran the rough pads of his thumbs gently swept across her cheeks. She closed her eyelids to the feel of his warm breath fanning across her face. Her lips parted slightly and she found herself eagerly waiting for him.

Franks lips soon melded with hers and they both became blissfully lost.

She then felt her breath leave her as her back met the padded seat and Frank's body leaned over hers. Alice's hands came to rest on his biceps. She could feel the power rippling through Frank's arms as he held himself above her. There was only one thought that ran through Alice's head as their kisses reached a feverish pace. Those three words that she dare not say.

Frank soon backed off so Alice could come up for air. His eyes danced as he gazed down at his girlfriends flushed face. Suddenly Frank tensed though at the sounds of footsteps which were growing louder by the second. Alice quickly sat up as Frank moved back to his original place. Frank laughed as she tried to sort her dishevelled appearance.

Jane then poked her head through the door but the moment she spotted her cousins deep blush and messy hair she knew that she had walked in on something.

Her eyes went wide. "Oops sorry," Jane said, laughingly before she quickly shut the door and disappeared.


	24. Those three words

The Hogwarts train had pulled into platform 9 ¾ and was welcomed by the usual sea of parents and the bustling atmosphere.

Alice stood on the platform jumping up and down as the cold air bit away at her bare skin. She shivered violently as she waited for her trunk. "Come on what's taking so long?" she moaned through chattering teeth.

Just then Frank appeared beside her with two trolleys. "Alice, are you crazy? It's so cold. Where's your coat?"

Alice grimaced as she furiously rubbed her hands up and down her arms. "Walter burnt it by mistake."

Frank chuckled. "God, he's still after my girlfriend," he muttered before quickly shrugging out of his dragon- hide jacket and holding it out for his girlfriend. "Here."

Alice shook her head quickly. "Honestly Frank, it's fine. You'll be cold then."

Frank however wasn't having any of it and placed the jacket around her shoulders. Alice knew that she should have continued insisting that she was okay, but the soft, warm woollen lining was drawing her in. Alice slipped into the jacket fully and sighed as her shivers subsided. The garment however drowned her and she had to pull up the sleeves in order to see her hands.

Alice then turned to Frank who was now hauling her trunk onto her trolley before he picked up his own.

"Thanks," she said as she placed Olly on top of her trunk. Intrigued, Frank peered into the cage and the Birman cat spat and hissed, causing him to jump back.

Alice smiled apologetically. "Sorry about Olly, he's… not in a good mood."

The couple soon walked through the barrier and entered the muggle part of the train station. Some people looked strangely at Frank's trolley where his brown owl was perched inside his cage. The bird screeched every now and then.

"Oh," Frank said suddenly. "Here this is for you…" Alice turned to see him handing her a packet of peppermint toads. He smiled. "You know, because you have another long journey ahead of you."

Alice was beside herself, there seemed to be no end to his thoughtfulness.

"Aww I love you," Alice sighed as she continued to push her trolley through Kings Cross station. Yet when the silent seconds passed a Alice's brain registered her confession. She froze. A sudden cold dread washed over Alice and she was unable to draw breath. It was as if she had been submerged in an ice bath.

Frank blocked her way, his eyes dilated. "What did you say?" His quivering voice did little to console her now thundering heart. Everyone else seemed to disappear. Every object and person became blurred and all Alice could see was her boyfriend with his incredulous stare and his jaw on the floor.

She tried to back track "No…I…eh," she stuttered, pushing her trolley towards the exit but Frank was hot on her heels.

Alice's saviour came in the unlikely form of James who was walking towards them. "Frank!" he yelled.

Without seeming too desperate Alice left Frank standing next to James and speed walked it towards her parents who she had spotted standing beside some muggle machine that dispensed snacks.

"Hey Alice!" James shouted and reluctantly she turned to face him. "I'm having a little New Years Eve get together, I'll send you the details."

Alice half smiled. "Sure, can't wait" she shouted back before running to her parents. Sophia gave her a quick kiss on the cheek as John took the trolley from her.

"Honey? I think a friend of yours is coming over," Sophia stated, peering over Alice's shoulder.

Alice had noticed that her father had already disappeared into the car park. She quickly looped her arm through her mother's. "Mum if you love me then let's just get out of here," she whispered, not daring to look back.

()()()()()()()()()()

_Oh why oh why did I have to freak him out! Great. Now he will probably want to break up with me. I've seen this so many times at school, all guys hate serious relationships…_Alice raked her fingers roughly through her hair before she held her head in her hands.

"Hey Doll Are you all right?" John asked. Alice looked up to see that her dad was staring at her through the front mirror. _Urgh I hate it when he calls me that_. Nevertheless she let it slide because she knew it was her dad' s form of endearment.

Sophia twisted around. "Yes dear, it is never a good sign when you mutter away to yourself."

Alice just shook her head at her mum. "I'm fine." She stated before staring out of the car window and into the darkness. She wasn't able to see anything but the glare of street lamps as they whizzed past.

"Who was that boy coming towards you anyway?" Sophia probed.

Alice bit her lip, unable to look at her mum. "Em…he's my…boyfriend."

The car suddenly swerved and Alice had to hold onto her seat. "Sorry," John muttered.

Sophia's eyes widened. "Boyfriend?"

Alice nodded. "Yes, his name is Frank."

John's worry seemed to evaporate immediately and he sighed with relief. "Oh, Mr Longbottom's son."

Alice nodded again. "Do you know his dad?"

John smiled. "Yes, very well actually, he works at the ministry with me." He grinned at Alice through his mirror. "I've met his son a few times, he's a nice boy."

Alice blushed but her mum saved her from further embarrassment by changing the subject.

The miles passed and no matter how much Alice tried to push Frank out of her mind she couldn't. _Damn, we should have just used the floo network. _The witch knew that she would have to spend at least two more hours in this car_._ It was impossible to escape from thoughts of Frank because in her haste she had forgotten to give him his jacket back. It was still around her shoulders. His familiar smell surrounded her and Alice felt her heart sink.

Everything had changed now_…all because I couldn't hold my tongue_


	25. Unexpected visitor

A week had come and gone and Alice was in her bedroom _trying_ to do her homework. Yet every time her eyes wandered around the room they would settle on Frank's jacket which was draped over her chair. Alice felt her heart sink. _I never want to back to school again! _She had no idea how she could possibly face him again.

However realizing that wallowing in self pity wouldn't help Alice roughly threw her covers off. When her feet met the cold, hard wood she shivered and so she quickly changed into warmer clothes and slipped on her thick socks. Her cardigan sleeves were so long that Alice managed to curl her fingers into the soft wool and away from the harsh cold. All she could hear were the floorboards creaking as she made her way downstairs. The house was empty and submerged in darkness as it was already night time. Alice trudged into the kitchen and tapped the kettle with her wand before turning to see a floating slip of parchment above the cookie jar. It had probably been there all day but Alice had spent most of her day in her room.

**Hi honey. We have just gone to visit Aunt May. ****Love mum**

The kettle soon began to whistle and Alice quickly emptied the content into a mug. _I'm such an idiot!_ The tea bag floated on the surface of the boiling water therefore with a spoon Alice savagely forced it down to the bottom of the cup. _Did I have to say I love you? _She took her seat in the living room, heaving a heavy sigh as she sank into the sofa.

Alice stared solemnly into the murky depths of her tea until the fire place suddenly burst into life. She looked up to see Jane's face appear through the raging flames. "Hi sorry… am I interrupting?"

Alice shook her head and smiled. "No whats up?"

Jane looked positively jittery. "I'm going round to Will's house…I assume his parents will be there."

Alice's eyes widened. "Oh."

Jane managed a half smile. "Yeah I'm nervous." Her brow then wrinkled. "You okay?"

Alice sat her cup on the floor and shook her head. "I think I freaked out Frank…I told him I loved him." She watched as her cousin became even more confused.

"And…that's not really a surprise."

Suddenly the door bell rang and for a moment Alice made no attempt to answer but whoever was at the door was persistent in their attempts to get inside. Alice turned to the fire place and smiled. "Good luck Jane I have to go." She watched her cousins face recede into the depths of the fire before disappearing.

"I'm coming, I'm coming" Alice called through the door as she reached out for the handle.

Her eyes flew open.

There standing on her doorstep was Frank, his nose and ears were pink from the cold.

"Frank?" she asked, disbelieving mostly because she had just been taking about him.

"Hi." He waved before wrapping his arms around his body. "Mind if I come in?"

Alice quickly stood to the side. "N..no…come in"

Frank didn't need to be told twice and so he swiftly entered. He shivered and Alice tugged on his arm so that he would follow her into the living room ,where the fire had died down.

She quickly switched on the lamps as he stood in the middle of the room. Awkward silence soon followed as they both just stared at each other. Alice willed herself to speak yet sheer embarrassment was holding her back whilst for Frank it was having no idea _what_ to say.

Alice swallowed the lump In her throat as her mind screamed for her to follow the flight response to this nervously tense situation. She looked at Frank who was just nodding and he seemed to be on the verge of speech.

Alice however got there first. "Em…What's up?"

Frank then rubbed his hands together. "Well…" a slow smile crept across his lips. "since you ran away from me that day…" Alice blushed, furiously. _So he did notice_. "You didn't give me a chance to say anything…."

Alice smiled weakly at her boyfriend. "Sorry," was all she managed to mumble.

Frank grinned as his eyes gleamed. He was getting his confidence back rapidly as he gazed at his beautiful, blushing girlfriend. Frank thought it would best to stop dancing around the subject. "You told me you loved me…"

Alice didn't say anything but pressed her lips together tightly and nodded. She was waiting for the blow…the "its not you its me"…or the plain "I can't go out with you anymore"…Alice closed her eyes for a split second at the thought. She was thrown off though when she was met with Frank's bright expression. He moved towards Alice, who stood paralyzed on the spot.

He took her hands into his and laughed softly. "If you had given me a chance I would have said…" Alice looked straight into his eyes. "That I feel the same."

Alice bit her lower lip as her smile grew to the point where her cheeks began to hurt. "Oh"

Frank then snaked his arms around her waist. "You silly little girl what ever made you think that I didn't?" he asked but Alice just shrugged.

"I was chasing after you to tell you that when we were in the train station." he added. Frank however had had enough of talking. He had missed Alice and without saying another word he lowered his lips to hers. She eagerly responded by throwing her arms around his neck and pulling Frank to her. Alice began to laugh against his lips as a wave of heat spread through her heart.

She was kissing him as if it would be their last kiss but Frank was by no means complaining.

"Say it," Alice barely managed to breath in between their feverish kisses.

Frank chuckled. "I love you."


	26. Past pain

**A jane and William chapter again.**

* * *

**Meanwhile**

Jane held William's hand as he led her back into his house. The Gryffindor was enjoying herself very much. William had persuaded her to join him on his broom. They had flown around together for about an hour and despite the cold Jane was kept warm by William's body.

The large country cottage was beautiful. The Ravenclaw had given Jane a little tour and she loved his home with it's wooden beams, rustic furniture and cosy fire places.

However the pair were puzzled when they saw that the lights were now on in the front room.

Jane walked straight into William as he stopped dead in his tracks. He looked completely surprised. "Mum what are you doing here?"

Jane peered out from behind the Ravenclaw to see a slender women with steely grey eyes and dark brown hair. "I got home from work early…." Jane then noticed the little boy standing beside her. He looked like a smaller version of William except he had his mothers eyes.

The women turned her attention to the Jane and smiled. "Hello Jane it's nice to finally meet you."

It was only now that Jane realize that William must have not brought her here to meet his parents since he thought that they weren't going to be at home. She felt hurt. Jane managed a half smile. "It's nice to meet you too Mrs Gray."

She laughed at this. "Clarissa please," she then patted the little boy on his head. "and this is Damien."

Jane waved at Damien, who shied away from her and hid behind his mothers skirt.

"Would you like to join us for dinner?" Clarissa asked suddenly

The Gryffindor gazed at her boyfriend from the corner of her eye he seemed worried. Jane was about to say it was fine but Clarissa ushered her into the dining room.

()()()()()()

Dinner wasn't as bad as Jane thought it would be... apart from William…he was acting really edgy.

"Your so cute aren't you?" Jane cooed at Damien as she tickled his chest. He laughed as he tried to get away from her hand. Clarissa watched on amused whilst she tucked into her dessert.

There was soon nothing but the sounds of spoons scrapping against the bottom of bowls and Jane decided to make polite conversation**. **"So…Is Mr Grey going to be joining us?"

William's eyes suddenly grew wide as his spoon paused on its way to his mouth. Immediately Jane realized she had said something inappropriate. She could feel her insides squirm and the familiar burn of embarrassment. _Did they get divorced ? _was the Gryffindor's first thought but when her eyes swept over Clarissa's left hand Jane caught a glimmer of a silver wedding band.

Clarissa smiled at the young women opposite her, showing no trace of shock like her son had. She cleared her throat. "Well dear considering he passed away six years ago I don't think so."

Have you ever been in that moment were it feels like time has frozen and everyone draws in a breath, gasping in unison. Then silence steals into the room and any chance of recovering the flow of conversation, lost. Well it was exactly this moment for Jane as she sat in her chair, opening and closing her mouth like a brainless fish.

_So this is why he didn't want me to meet his parents...he only had one. _All the air seemed to escape from her lungs as she turned to face William.

If Clarissa had noticed Jane's surprise she didn't comment on it rather she took Damien by the hand and led him into the kitchen, after finally giving into his demands for a sweet.

William didn't make eye contact with his girlfriend, rather he got up. The clattering of cutlery followed and he gestured for her to follow him. "Lets take a walk."

The painful silence continued on as William handed Jane her coat. The pair headed out the front door and back into the ice cold air. The sky was dark and as Jane walked her breathing came out in small puffs of white cloud.

Every step that was taken in silence killed her but it wasn't until she reached the end of the street did she finally force herself to speak. "Oh Will I…," She started, gazing into his eyes that now held a glimpse of his past pain which he had so expertly hidden. "I…I'm so sorry…. I never…I just assumed that…"

The Ravenclaw cut her off. "Jane it's okay."

"Why didn't you tell me? I don't understand…something _that _important" she managed to choke out.

William just shook his head, frustrated as he continued to walk. "I don't know...its not like that"

Jane placed her hand on William's chest to stop him from moving any further but as he stood still he tried to avoid her piercing eyes. "I want to know why you kept this from me?"

Will just shrugged his shoulders. "I didn't expect us too fall so deep…this is my first serious relationship... your like my second girlfriend… and my first girlfriend was when I was twelve so really you are my first."

Jane was about to go on a major tangent. To ask him that she found this unbelievable but she shook her head as it wasn't important right now. "I want you take me to your dad," she stated plainly.

William's head shot up. "Jane…" he was about to protest but she silenced him by pressing her fingers to his lips.

"I want to meet…_both _of your parents." There was defiance in the pools of her brown eyes and William knew that his girlfriend would not take no for an answer.

He sighed and rubbed his neck, awkwardly. "Oh…okay if you really want to."

William rested his hand against the small of her back and led her towards the outskirts of the village where a little Victorian church stood.

"I haven't come to visit my dad since his funeral," he managed to whisper as the wrought iron gates screeched as the pair entered the graveyard.

Jane shivered for she had thankfully never had to visit a graveyard before. The headstones were all of varying heights and some were made of granite whilst others were made of concrete. There were wilting flowers on some but for most their were fresh ones.

The Ravenclaw suddenly stopped in front of a grave at the far end of the field and just stood still. "Here he is."

Jane gave William a gentle push. "Speak to him," Jane urged. "I heard it helps."

"Okay….hello dad…" he started. William then turned back to Jane who just gently gestured for him to keep going.

The Ravenclaw slowly shuffled closer to the headstone. "I…," William could already feel his eyes sting. "I'm sorry I haven't come to visit." He fiddled with his fingers "I've just been angry...well I _use_ to be angry with you"

William knelt down, his knees sinking into the snow. "Me and mum told you to stop but you didn't…"Jane stood behind her boyfriend and fought back her instinctive urge to hug him.

William didn't turn around as he began to re-tell the story which she had patiently been waiting for. "You see Jane… my dad…he was an Auror… and he was investigating the disappearances of muggle born witches and wizards which he thought was linked to the secret uprising of death eaters" William took a long drawn breath. "…. I didn't realize how much danger he was in…"

Skin met marble and William run his fingers over the engraved words. _Here lies Rickard Gray. Loyal friend, dedicated father and relentless seeker of the truth._

"My mum was pregnant with Damien at the time. She use to beg him to stay at home…" William continued. "But my dad was convinced that there was something sinister going on…he wanted to save them…"

Jane found her eyes brimming with tears but she remained silent, knowing that words could not provide any sort of comfort . Soft flecks of snow began to fall, twirling around through the darkness and landing on the pair and around the headstones of those who could no longer feel the cold.

The Ravenclaw began again. "He was nearly finished his mission but then went out one night…and … never came back." William choked on his nervous laughter. "When I was younger I was convinced that any moment he would just walk through the front door…"

William then heard a sob and turned around to see Jane with a pained expression on her face; Tiny pearls of water streamed freely down her cheeks. William blinked away his own before giving her a shaky laugh. "My sweet Jane why are you crying?" he asked, as he moved to stand in front of her.

Suddenly she threw her arms around his neck and hugged him, fiercely. "Oh Will I just w… I wish…I…I could have been there for you…it…it must…have been… hard for you" she hiccupped.

William just held Jane's quivering body, tightly as he stroked her hair "Shhh… I won't have you crying because of me…," he whispered, kissing the top of her head." And your helping me now Janey…"

She closed her eyes, laying her head against his chest and all the while William murmured words of comfort into her ear. He gently forced Jane's chin up so that she would look at him. "I guess I didn't tell you because I wanted to spare you the grief."

Jane squeezed him tighter. "I don't care. I just want to always be here for you no matter what."

William smiled before reaching for her lips which were still wet from her salty tears. The kiss was strong and Jane could feel all his desperation, hurt and adoration for her which left her dizzy. All she could do was kiss him back harder.


	27. Hiding

**Some comic relief for you**

* * *

Alice sighed as she snuggled further into Frank's embrace. They had spent all of yesterday talking about what had happened during their week of separation and by the time they had finished it was 11pm. Alice had told Frank that it was crazy for him to leave when it was so late therefore he stayed the night. The rays of the early morning sun were streaming in through Alice's bedroom window and she slowly opened her eyes to see that Frank was already awake.

The wizard smiled down at Alice, who was resting her head on his chest. "Hey you."

Alice giggled as Frank twirled strands of her hair around in his fingers . "Hi," she mumbled as she blinked sleepily into his eyes.

He grinned. "Did I tell you that I love you?"

His joking caused her to laugh. "You might have done."

"Well I just thought I would say it again." Frank murmured as he held her.

Alice had no idea how long they laid in each others arms but she didn't care. When her eyes scanned her room, which was by now bathed in a beautiful white light she saw Frank's jacket again. It no longer seemed to bring her the despair like it had only a mere day ago.

Alice pointed to the chair. "Oh sorry I've still got that."

Frank just shook his head. "Keep it."

She looked up at him, surprised. "Really?"

Frank nodded. "I like that you've got something that's mines."

Alice was about to reply but there was a sudden knock at the door and she literally jumped out of her bed when she heard her mothers voice. "Honey…"

"Crap!" Alice had presumed that her parents would have stayed over at Aunt May's. Her eyes darted about the room as she tried to find somewhere to hide Frank. Alice quickly stumbled over to the other side of the bed and began to pull her boyfriend up. "Just a minute…"

Frank chuckled as she began to push him in the direction of her wardrobe. "Alice what are you doing? It's not like anything even happened last night." he whispered

Alice smiled apologetically. "I know but just trying to explain this to my parents…"

"Oh sorry Alice are you changing?" Sophia asked through the door.

Alice felt her mind start to shut down due to her worry "Yeah… two seconds," She called as Frank tried to get into her wardrobe.

Alice began to cross her room and was about to open the door but stopped as she realized that she was still in her nightclothes. She quickly snatched up a skirt which she saw on her chair and slipped it on. Whilst she did this this Frank was still pushing Alice's hangers and clothes aside as he struggled to make some space for himself.

Frank continued to fight his way through and finally managed to fit inside. "You have way too many clothes."

Alice ignored the comment and ran towards Frank and grabbed a v-neck jumper that was to his left. Without think she removed her top and quickly pulled the jumper over her head. Alice then shut the wardrobe doors on Frank. She was too absorbed in her panic to notice him gaping at her.

Sophia walked in at that moment to see her daughter sitting on her bed, with an open book.

Alice looked up. "Oh hi mum ."

Sophia smiled "I just thought I would tell you that I'm off to work as well as your dad."

Alice nodded as she tried to calm her heart since her mum was only standing a few feet away from her wardrobe. "Okay."

"Try not to do too much school work, dear," Sophia said but then she paused in the door way.

Alice felt her heart stop as her mum looked at her. "By the way your reading that book upside down."

Alice laughed nervously before hitting her head. "Oh silly me."

Sophia's eyebrows knitted together but she said no more and just shut the door behind her. Alice breathed a sigh of relief as she heard the familiar sound of her parents apparating. She fell onto her pillows as the wardrobe door slowly creaked open and Frank poked his head out.

Alice pressed a hand to her chest as she turned to look at Frank who was grinning at her. "You are so much trouble." she stated.


	28. Christmas day

Christmas day was an odd affair. First of all Alice had known that she, her parents, her aunt and uncle and Jane were going to spend this day together. However one thing led to another and now Frank and William's families were both invited as well. It was a pleasant yet nerve racking surprise for Alice.

It was 5 o'clock in the evening and she was in her bedroom, staring into her mirror. Alice found herself smiling at her reflection. She admired her floor length dress which was blood red in colour and her hair which hung down her back in soft long, curls. The Gryffindor found herself chuckling as she heard her cousin jogging up the stairs in her usual frantic fashion.

Just then Jane entered her room. She wore a strapless dress that flowed down to her knees it was in a deep shade of sapphire. Jane's hair was held up in a loose bun at the nape of her neck which revealed the pale skin of her shoulders and back. It was an amusing concidence that Alice wore the Gryffindor colours whilst Jane wore the Ravenclaw ones.

Alice then noticed the silver necklace around her cousins neck which had a band ring dangling from it. "A Christmas present?"

Jane's eyes widened slightly as she hurriedly tucked the necklace into her dress and away from view. "Oh…Yes"

_Odd. _Alice was about to speak but suddenly the door bell rang. Both Gryffindors looked at each other for a moment before they both raced down the stairs, eager to answer the door. However Alice's father had beaten them to it.

John gave the girls a warning look which said "behave yourselves." He had a foreign, stern expression on his face and Alice and Jane chuckled at this. John had already given them a lecture about not being too "overly friendly" with their boyfriends.

The front door opened and It was William.

Alice laughed as Jane eagerly left her side. The Ravenclaw held back as his mother and brother were led into the living room by John.

Will laughed as Jane hugged him, fiercely. "We've only been apart for four days."

She giggled. "So." Jane then ran her hands down his blue pin-striped shirt. "Aw we've colour coordinated without knowing it…"

Alice then zoned out of their conversation as her wandering eyes caught a glimpse of a silver chain underneath William's shirt. _Hmm…_It was similar to the one Jane had_. _However Alice had no time to ponder upon the mystery that surrounded their jewellery since the door bell rang again.

John quickly entered the corridor and ushered Jane and William into the living room.

"Dad," Alice whined as he once again bet her to the door.

This time it was Frank and his mum and dad. John greeted his friend with a firm handshake. "Ah Albert I do believe that we see far too much of each other."

Albert laughed outright, the corners of his eyes creasing in the process. "Yes, far too much."

Alice found herself growing impatient as she met Frank's lingering gaze. He offered his girlfriend a slow smile. Alice wanted nothing more than to just run down to him but she knew she had wait. It would defiantly be rude if she didn't.

Alice then noticed a slender women appear from behind Albert. She had a formidable look about her and held a definite air of confidence, that always accompanied a strong women.

John smiled. "Ah Augusta. It has been a long time."

She smiled in return before her eyes landed on Alice, who still stood on the stairs.

"This is my daughter, Alice," John informed before Alice extended out her hand which Augusta shook politely.

The parents soon vacated the corridor, leaving behind the young couple.

Frank instinctively opened his arms and Alice walked straight into them. He began to kiss her frantically.

However Alice quickly pulled away when she heard someone moving around in the next room. "You have to behave yourself." she whispered, breathily. Frank just chuckled as he hugged his girlfriend.

His lips were just an inch away from Alice's ear. "If I have too," Frank sighed

Alice shivered at the feel of his hot breath and in an instant her mouth dried as Frank brushed his lips against the sensitive hallow just beneath her ear. She found herself gripping lightly onto the front of Frank's shirt as he started to kiss the soft patch of skin. Alice's eyes fluttered shut as her breathing became irregular. At this point Alice was reminded of all the inappropriate dreams she had been having as of late.

It soon became harder and harder for her not to notice how Frank's body heat seeped through her thin silk dress.

Slowly his teasing began to transform into pure passion and Alice had to cling onto his shoulders for dear life as he started to kiss his way along the underside of her jaw. Alice's breathing hitched as a soft fire burned deep inside of her. Strange feelings of desire had been rising in Alice for a while now and she wondered if Frank felt the same way.

Alice soon twisted her jaw away from Frank so that she could attack his soft lips. He responded with matching vigour as he pressed her hard up against the wall. Alice was blissfully helpless as his tongue soon invaded her mouth. A soft moan asked her lips and Alice would have felt embarrassed, only Frank did the same. She tried not squirm against the flaring pleasure.

The urge to run her hands all over Frank's body was unbearable but instead Alice wove her hands into his hair and pulled him closer, effectively crushing their lips together until not even air could escape.

Alice wanted to get _even_ closer to Frank. She wished for the ultimate intimacy….

"Frank, Alice, Dinner" Sophia suddenly shouted.

Alice jolted back to reality. Her eyes flew open before she hurriedly pushed Frank away, worried that her mum was about to walk in. Yet she didn't and the couple just stared at each other, wide eyed for a few silent minutes- Both of them panting.

The realization was finally setting in that their relationship was evolving. Apparently kisses would no longer suffice in showing how much they loved each other...

Alice's voice shook as she shouted back. "We're coming."

()()()()()()()()()

After dinner Alice lay on the sofa completely stuffed. God the food had been so good. Clarissa, Sophia and Augusta were in the kitchen adding the finishing touches to the puddings (which Alice knew she would not be able to eat) and making the tea as well.

Alice soon found herself gazing out of the living room window and into the front garden. Everything was still covered in layers and layers of pure white snow. The bare, sleeping trees had been draped with Christmas lights which tinkled in the night.

Alice found herself smiling at the memory of her dad getting stuck in the trees. Since they lived in a muggle street John had to put up the fairy lights without magic and lets just say Alice had been rolling around with laughter as her dad had become tangled up in the lights on more than one occasion. Alice remembered how John had spent at least an hour wrestling with the lights. It was well worth it though.

Alice was then brought out of her thoughts by indecisive footsteps. She turned to see that Frank was approaching her. His posture was stiff and muscles strained.

"I'm really sorry I got a little carried away," he said suddenly

Alice sat up confused by his words and probing gaze, that is until her mind travelled back to the incident in the corridor.

Alice blushed as she shook her head. "No. There's no need to apologize…" Alice then flashed her boyfriend a playfully smile. "after all I got carried away myself."

Frank's worry vanished in an instant and he eased himself behind her. "I thought I had gone too…"

Alice quickly cut him off. "Trust me Frank it's fine."

Frank smiled into her hair but the couple however were not left alone for long as everyone came shuffling in. Sophia sat the Christmas pudding on the coffee table along with a number of small cupcakes, topped with thick pink and blue icing. Augusta carried in the tea whilst Clarissa brought in the jug of milk and sugar cubes.

William and Jane then walked in hand in hand and settled into the corner of the room, near the crackling fire. The couple were soon followed by John and Albert who had after dinner retreated into a separate room for a quite discussion.

Alice watched Frank out of the corner of her eye and she bit her lip at his pained expression.

The desserts were soon passed around and once everyone had stated their sweet tooth they all reclined in chairs as they settled into quite conversations. Damien was the only one who was jumping around as he chased his Robot Lilliput which was a gift from Jane.

Alice leant back against Frank's chest as they watched their fathers talking to Clarissa.

"Mr Gray use to work with our dads," Frank whispered to Alice.

She froze at the words "Use to". _What had happened to him? _Alice turned slightly to face her boyfriend but she didn't have to ask.

Frank stared at Clarissa with a solemn expression. "He was killed by death eaters."

Alice's hands flew to cover her mouth. "Oh my god," she managed to breathe before her eyes flickered to Jane, who by now was playing exploding snap with William. "Do think she knows?"

Frank ran his hands up and down Alice's arms, trying to soothe her. "I'm pretty sure."

Alice then found herself smiling. "You know Jane must love William a lot because she didn't even tell me that his father had passed away."

"Well not a lot of people know," Frank said before he chuckled. "Well that's good isn't it?"

Alice sighed happily. "Yeah…It is"


	29. New years eve party

**Song of the day: Kasabian - lost souls forever**

* * *

Alice stood on the front step of James's house, twenty minutes early and jumping up and down on the spot as she waited impatiently for someone to answer the door. This was not only because she felt like she was getting frostbite in her black lace dress but because nature was calling.

Luckily it was Mrs Potter who answered the door. "Oh hello dear you must be Alice," she smiled gently.

Alice quickly nodded as she squirmed "Erm...Mrs Potter sorry to seem rude but could you please show me where your bathroom is?" Alice asked, too desperate to feel embarrassed.

James's mum just laughed lightly as she stood to the side to allow Alice to enter. "Follow me."

()()()()()()()()()()()()

Alice washed her hands and studied herself in the bathroom mirror. Her hair was half up and held in place by a sliver clip whilst the rest cascaded down her back. She fiddled around with her pearl necklace and fixed her dress. Alice looked down at her patent heels and smiled because she always felt empowered when she was 4 inches taller.

The door clicked shut behind Alice and she found herself standing in the middle of the third floor corridor and suddenly realized that she had no idea how to get back to first floor.

Alice walked down a nearby hall but stopped mid stride as she spotted Sirius in a room to her right.

"Hey Sirius," she called before walking in. Alice couldn't help but notice his apprehension as he greeted her. His unusually nervous posture caused Alice to wonder. She scanned the room which contained a bed with _his_ clothes strewed all over it, _his_ prized broomstick was resting on an oak desk and sitting at the foot of the double bed was _his_ trunk.

"Sirius…do you…" Alice cut herself off as her eyes swept across the walls, which were decorated with red and gold Gryffindor flags along with various posters of Muggle and Wizarding bands.

Alice frowned in confusion as she fixed her travelling eyes firmly on Sirius. "Do you… live… here?" she managed to say.

Sirius flashed her a guilty smile and nodded.

Alice really wanted to ask him why, since by the looks of it he had made himself quite at home at James's house but she felt her stomach turn. After all for a teenager not to be living with their parents meant something unpleasant must have happened.

Taking a small step forward Alice felt her voice falter and she opened her mouth only to close it again.

Sirius spoke for her. "I'm sure you want to know why?"

The sparkle in his eyes seemed to dim slightly but he continued to smile and somehow Alice felt comfortable enough to say yes.

He gestured for her to take a seat. "It's a long story," Sirius informed her as he dragged a nearby chair and sat opposite Alice.

"Well let's start with me being the heir of the House of Black," he said, air quoting the last name and her eyes immediately widened. Alice listened intently as Sirius told her his tale of his families radical beliefs in blood purity, how some family members had been disowned because they were Squibs and that he had became the first ever Gryffindor. Alice couldn't help but smile as he puffed out his chest proudly, but then she soon became upset when he told her how he had run away from home. They both soon fell into silence.

"So I guess this is why you and James are so close?" Alice suggested as she tried to clear the depressing atmosphere.

Sirius was grinning to himself as he stood up. "Yep we are practically like brothers." He then gestured for Alice to follow him as they made their way through the numerous corridors.

"Why didn't you tell me earlier?" Alice asked suddenly as they reached the last flight of stairs.

"I don't know…" Sirius just shrugged feeling strangely embarrassed. "I just thought that it would get in the way of us….

Alice rolled her eyes as she finished his sentence. "…becoming friends and I wanted to because of how much Frank liked you."

Sirius looked shocked.

Alice however just smiled. "That's the same excuse Remus used." She then pressed her hand across her heart. "Aww Sirius You're such a softy just like Remus!" Alice squealed before hugging him. She could tell he felt awkward because he stood immobile in their embrace .

"You as well Sirius?"

Alice and Sirius both turned to meet that all too familiar voice.

Alice quickly ran down the remaining stairs."Frank!" she cried.

He laughed as gave her a bear hug. "It would seem that Sirius is trying to steal my girlfriend too and that your very happy to see me," Frank told his girlfriend in a very sarcastic fashion which caused her to kiss him full on the lips.

He held Alice tightly against his chest. "Well I am happy to see you too," Frank whispered as he adorned her face with light kisses that made her giggle.

Just then James came into view with his arm around Lily's waist. "Hey guys what are you all doing in the hallway?"

Alice looked at Sirius who smiled at her. "Nothing."

"Well then follow me," James announced, "Remus will be here in the next five minutes and Peter…maybe in the next thirty"

()()()()()()()()()()()

Once Mr and Mrs Potter had left for their weekend retreat to a log cabin [which when Sirius heard about it he raised his eyebrows suggestively making James cringe], it became clear that James's little get together was actually a house party for all the Gryffindor's above fourth year.

As the evening progressed the music increased in volume until it could be heard as clearly outside as inside. It was moments like these when the three acres of land surrounding James's house came in handy. There was not a single neighbour to complain.

Remus was laughing at Sirius who had been pursuing a girl named Sierra for the entire party, since she had been the only one to slap him when he tried to dangle mistletoe over her.

Peter was running towards the bathroom as he had downed at least 10 butterbeers in a row as part of a bet.

Alice was dancing away next to Lily when she felt someone tug her arm. She turned around to see that it was Frank but he didn't bother to speak and just gestured towards the door. Frank's wide shoulders came in handy as he pushed his way through the crowds and Alice followed closely in his wake before the gap around him closed.

Once they reached the hallway Frank took Alice's hand and led her to through the patio doors and into the garden.

It was a cloudless night which allowed the tiny, diamond like stars to shine. The cold winter air nipped away at her exposed skin and Alice felt a shiver wrack her body, and so she quickly slipped into Frank's dragon hide jacket which was now hers.

"Is something wrong?" Alice asked, her face falling and Frank felt warmed by her concern.

He shook his head. "I just wanted us to spend this time together. Alone." However his words only served to confuse her further that it until the music suddenly stopped and James's voice could be heard.

"Okay guys 10 seconds to midnight so that means it time for the countdown!" he shouted which was followed by a course of cheers.

"Where's Lily?" he added and his statement received a mixture of laughs and cat calls.

"10... 9... 8..." Everyone shouted.

It was getting quite rowdy in the house and Alice was glad that she was spending this special moment alone with Frank and not with him crushed in between a sea of people.

"You're too sweet," Alice cooed as she draped her arms around his neck.

"7... 6... 5..."

Frank grinned as his arms wrapped around her waist and they both just stood there.

"4... 3..."

"I love you," Frank whispered down to Alice, who was smiling so widely her mouth hurt.

"I think we say that too much now," she teased which caused him to laugh softy

"2... 1..."

Alice stood on her tip toes and her cheeks burned as Frank's hand brushed across her face and into her hair before settling at the back of her head.

"HAPPY NEW YEAR!"

Without waiting another second Frank pressed his lips to Alice's and by now her heart was thundering in her chest. The music started up again but they were both deaf to it as they continued to hold each other, their lips practically glued together. After a couple of minutes they unwillingly parted and Frank was about to make his way back to the party when Alice stopped him.

"Where do think you're going?" she demanded playfully as she held his collars.

"Apparently nowhere," Frank retorted, snickering as Alice pulled him down for another kiss.


	30. The topic of sex

**(More couples are being introduced.)**

**Song of the day: Elbow -One day like this**

* * *

In the blink of eye Alice found herself right back at Hogwarts, pouring over her numerous textbooks whilst wondering where on earth all her time had gone. Upon her return Alice had easily fallen back into her usual routine and before the witch knew it, it was the 1st of February.

The snow may have melted but winter still remained.

After a long and mentally draining library session Alice trudged into the common room to find it heaving with students. Alice groaned as she weaved her way through the crowds of Gryffindors to Sirius, who was lounging about in his usual armchair by the fire. Alice had never realized before how all the students had their own little areas of the common room where they usually sat. Yet she should have after all humans are creatures of habit.

Sirius suddenly heard footsteps drawing closer to him and he quickly looked up. The wizard watched as Alice made her way towards him but not before scolding a couple of first years who were about to let off some dungbombs. Sirius hurriedly tapped the parchment in his hands with his wand. Yet there was no need for haste as Alice was too exhausted to even notice his shifty behaviour, let alone the ink disappearing off the parchment.

Sirius chuckled as Alice threw herself onto the empty sofa, to his left. "Tired already?"

All Alice could manage was a nod and she was about to speak when the creaking of ancient door hinges could be heard echoing around the room. A seventh year girl with delicate, ebony hair reaching halfway down her back entered. She had olive toned skin, full lips and deep coffee brown eyes which were framed by thick black eyelashes. Sierra defiantly had the dark good looks to rival Sirius himself.

Alice waved at her Transfiguration partner and Sierra smiled sweetly, that is until she saw Sirius. She tried to hide her pinched expression as she veered off to the right where her friends where sitting.

"Have I missed something?" Alice asked, smirking at Sirius as she did so.

He huffed. "Well…you know at James's party… I was sort of drunk…. and when I'm drunk…" He cut himself off as Alice knew all to well what happens.

She grinned. "Ah… in the words of my dad you get overly friendly."

Sirius nodded slowly. "I tried to kiss her…. but she slapped me."

Alice's eyes bulged as she twisted around to look at the petite witch. Sierra, by now was laughing away next to her friends, showcasing her pearly white teeth. "No way! She seems so harmless."

Sirius unconsciously rubbed his cheek. "She may look it but her slap bloody well hurt!" He then grinned. "It's weird but I now can't seem to get her out of my head."

Alice rolled her eyes before she chuckled. "What are you talking about? You couldn't even get her out of your head _before_ Christmas."

Alice then laughed as she was reminded of all the times that Sirius had tried to get Sierra. He had been drawn to her from the moment she had been unmoved by his flowery words- If it was any other girl they would have swooned but not Sierra. On one occasion when Sirius had relentlessly been chasing her between classes, trying to get any sort of response from her, Sierra just tripped him up using invisible rope.

She had turned round for a mere second to state "I thought I would show you how funny your little pranks are." before storming off. Alice smirked as she recalled the image of Sirius sprawled out on the marble floor, gazing after Sierra like a love sick puppy.

Alice quickly shook herself free from her thoughts to find that she was still looking at Sierra. She was really polite, soft-spoken at times but usually Sierra had a fierce attitude and brimmed with confidence and Alice did envy her for that. "You know what Sirius you would do well if she was your girlfriend," Alice said absentminded.

Sirius's face fell slightly at her comment. "Well I've already asked her… three times!"

Alice groaned. "Oh god we really don't need another James and Lily scenario, the whole will they won't they."

Sirius nodded his head in agreement. "Absolutely plus I don't have _that_ much time…we're leaving in five months."

Alice decided it was best to change the subject but she soon got the sense that Sirius wasn't actually listening to her. What gave this away? well the main give away was that his entire body was unknowingly facing Sierra and not only that but his eyes would constantly flicker to the opposite end of the room.

Sighing, Alice swiped up a copy of the daily prophet which lay abandoned on the coffee table, in front on her. Sirius hadn't even noticed that she had stopped talking. "Love is crazy," Alice muttered to herself before she began to read, leaving her friend to continue on plotting as to how he could persuade Sierra to go out with him.

()()()()()()()()()()

The gale force winds could be heard howling outside as the rain thrashed against the glass panes of the windows.

An hour went by before Remus and Peter arrived in the common room. By now Sirius had finally snapped out of his stupor but that was mostly due to the fact that Sierra had left the room.

Frank soon followed and he immediately felt a rush of pleasurable warmth spread in his heart as he watched Alice eagerly throw her newspaper aside before she sat up at attention, beaming at him. He revelled in the fact that his girlfriend always looked so thrilled to see him. Without a second thought Frank quickly joined Alice and she greeted him with a not- so- chaste kiss.

Hours passed in quite chatter and as darkness fell the fire grew in strength, to the point where the bright yellow and orange flames licked the roof of the fireplace. The rest of the occupants of the common room had slowly began to trickle back to their dorms, until only the gang were left.

At this point Alice had some how ended up sitting on Frank's lap with her arms draped around his shoulders. Alice grinned down at him. "I like that I'm taller than you, for once."

A lazy smile spread across Frank's face. "Is that so?" he then arched an eyebrow as Alice nodded. "…and what may I ask are the advantages."

This caused Alice to grin. "Well…" She however didn't finish and instead leaned forward and effectively pushed Frank further into the padded sofa cushions. Her long hair fell, acting like a curtain which hid Frank's face as well as hers, from view. His eyes sparkled as Alice flashed him a sultry smile. Frank found himself swallowing back the dryness in his throat since Alice's chest was now pressing against his. In no time at all her feathery soft lips settled on top of Frank's and he willingly surrendered himself to the sweet torture she was inflicting on him. Alice's languid kisses caused something to stir inside of Frank and he slowly began to run his hand up and down her thighs, warming the skin beneath her tights. Alice shivered in response but continued on with her assault.

Suddenly the fat lady could be heard singing quite badly and the portrait door swung open. The couple broke apart as everyone else turned around at that moment to see Lily and James enter.

They were awfully _late _after patrolling the corridors…

Alice couldn't help but notice Lily's flushed face and the couples scruffy appearance, not to mention their tousled hair. There was a moment of silence before the group of Gryffindors burst out laughing. The head girl subconsciously began to smooth down her unruly hair whilst the head boy slyly tried to fix his tie.

"There's no use hiding it, we know what you've been up to," Sirius teased.

Alice felt her insides squirm for Lily and James as they reluctantly joined the group because Sirius had a tendency to draw out awkward situations. He wasn't going to let the couple off that lightly. "So…where did you guys do it this time?"

Lily looked positively mortified as she pressed her hands to her cheeks and they were growing a darker shade of red by the minute.

"Padfoot just let it go," Frank chided.

However when Sirius grinned evilly at him, Frank regretted speaking. "Why?… Is it making you feel uncomfortable?"

Alice frowned at Frank's narrowed eyes and the "I'll kill you if you say anything" look that he was giving his friend.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Alice asked.

Sirius's gleeful eyes danced. "Well…lets just say Frank doesn't know much about _having _sex."

Alice tilted her head to the side and when she spotted Remus and James trying to suppress their chuckles she grew even more confused. Alice turned to see Frank glaring at Sirius as he struggled to get up.

However Sirius had caught on quick and knew that his friend was trying to silence him. "Frank's a virgin." Padfoot declared without warning.

Frank relented his efforts immediately as he froze in place, his mouth literally fell to the floor. His cheeks burned. _Oh God! _Frank stared at his girlfriend…would Alice think him weird for being an eighteen year old virgin?

His fear soon vanished as he reluctantly met Alice's eyes….She seemed… completely unfazed by the news, as if this wasn't a big deal.

Alice turned to face Padfoot and shrugged her shoulders "So…What's wrong with that?"

Sirius was practically choking with laughter now. "Well it's not like you are Alice"

She had a straight expression which held no hint of shame. "I am."

Suddenly everything went quite and Sirius's laughter died down completely as he just gawked at Alice. You could practically hear a pin drop in the room as the entire group now stared at Alice.

Frank couldn't believe it. "Really?" he breathed.

Alice began to mumble nervously as she started to grow unsure of herself. "Y…Yeah…I... am…." she trailed off though as there was nothing but _awkward_ silence since nobody was sure what to say next.

Alice now understood fully why she had been feeling so strange since Christmas…the urges she had been having. She had finally found someone that she truly loved and had come to realize that she was ready and wanted nothing more to express that love physically. Alice was sure Frank felt the same way.

Sirius's voice cut through her thoughts. He was scratching the back of his head. "Oh…oh… " He then pointed to her, "Your are...that's… cool."

This caused Alice to giggle and the noise thankfully broke the uncomfortable stillness. "Jeez Sirius! What's the big deal!"

Sirius just shook his head, still completely shocked. "No…nothing I'm just surprised… finding a virgin now a days is like finding a unicorn." This statement caused Alice to blush furiously but Sirius continued on. "I mean even Remus has had sex despite his furry little problem."

_This _revelation did cause Alice to gasp and her head swung so fast to face Remus that she felt dizzy.

Lily's eyes bulged as she cried. "Hang on a minute when did this happen! I didn't even know about this!" She pointed an accusing finger at James, who smiled guiltily.

Remus shrunk back in his chair as the attention was now on him. "Okay okay….in my defence It was a mistake….I really shouldn't have had sex but it was _because_ of my furry problem…"He then pointed at Sirius, "Also he found out and he told all the guys. I didn't tell anyone."

Both Lily and Alice leaned forward, clearly intrigued. Remus tried to divert the attention away from him but It was no use. The girls just waited patiently for him to spill the beans.

Remus groaned."Well… it was at the beginning of sixth year and I don't know if you know but usually a couple of days after my transformation my hormone levels go through the roof…," Lily just gestured for Remus to get to the point and he grudgingly did. "At the time I really liked the Ravenclaw prefect Evelyn Lambert…"

Lily cut in. "No way! I remember her she was so lovely and she…." but Lily soon stopped as she realized that what she was saying wasn't really important right now. "Sorry. Go on"

"I knew Evelyn liked me but she didn't know that the feeling was very much mutual." Despite the situation of being forced to tell his story Remus tried his best to keep his grin at bay as he recalled what was probably one of the best night of his life.

"It was two days after the full moon and I was patrolling the corridors that night. I was still in a significant amount of pain and practically wincing with every step I took." Remus then sighed as Evelyn's beautiful face came into his minds eye. "I was on the fifth floor when I bumped into Evelyn and she was really worried when she saw my scars. She questioned me relentlessly about where I had disappeared to…" Alice could tell that Remus was awfully pleased at the memory of Evelyn's concern, by the way his lips curved upwards.

Remus fought back his smile but it was a losing battle. "Evelyn told me that she had made a balm out of a Dittany plant and that it would ease the pain but that it was in the prefects bathroom…" Remus felt his cheeks heat up as he recalled Evelyn offering to apply the balm upon entering the bathroom and him removing his shirt.

Alice held back a squeak as she started to connect the dots. She was guessing that they didn't leave the bathroom for quite a while.

Remus weaved his fingers together before he began to twist them around. "Evelyn stared to apply the balm to some of the cuts on my back and I instantly felt better ….she worked her way around" Remus was unable to look at anyone as he continued. "She then reached my face where there was one scar on my cheek…I couldn't stop myself." Alice and lily both squeaked loudly as he cleared his throat. " I…I started to kiss her and one thing kind of led to another…"

Sirius with pleasure picked up were his friend left off. " And Remus ended up having sex on a pile of towels on the floor of the prefects bathroom."

The memory however was bittersweet for Remus as he now recalled his and Evelyn's last conversation…

Alice watched as Remus's smile slipped right off of his face. "Evelyn thought that after that amazing night that we would end up going out…but I lied…" he looked straight into Alice's eyes and she saw the hurt in the depth of his pupils. "I told her that what had happened between us didn't mean anything to me…"

Lily and Alice both gasped loudly and even Sirius's grin disappeared and was replaced with a compassionate, small smile.

Remus squeezed his eyes shut for a moment as he tried to get rid of the image of Evelyn's pained expression…her face mirrored her thoughts that day and showed Remus that Evelyn felt like she had been used…

"I said it without thinking because I didn't want to have to tell her about my condition and see someone I love run away from me" Remus sighed as he began to toy with a loose thread on the sofa. "She even gave me a chance… the night before she was about to leave for Beauxbatons academy. Evelyn said that her dad had taken a two year job offer in France and that all she wanted was the truth from me before she went…that she didn't believe that I felt nothing…"

Alice by now was on the edge of Franks lap with her palms pressed firmly to her mouth, waiting for what was to come next.

Remus now looked ashamed. "All I did was shrug my shoulders and say well you know what guys are like."

The uneasy atmosphere returned and Alice stood up to pat Remus's arm in support. Luckily Sirius came to the rescue, unfortunately though that meant embarrassing someone to take the edge off. He pointed to Alice and Frank. "I still can't get over the fact that you two are virgins…so when are you guys going to do the deed?" Everyone started to laugh again as the pair both rolled their eyes but Frank and Alice appreciated what he was trying to do. Even Remus had been drawn from his melancholic state.

Peter must have thought that it was a band wagon because he quickly declared to the group. "I'm a virgin too."

Sirius then turned to the short mousy wizard and grinned a wicked grin. "Yeah... but that's not by choice."

By now the group of seventh years were clutching their sides as they all howled with laughter whilst Peter's face turned tomato red in colour


	31. Valentine's Day

**A _really_ long chapter but i hope you enjoy.**

**(The paragragh in italics is from some website so they are not my words. I disclaim)**

**Song of the day: Liquid confidence -you me at six**

* * *

Thirteen days later

The bright light of the early morning sun spilled into the girls dorm, where Alice and her friends were already giddy with excitement. They had awoke to find that Valentine's day cards had already been delivered, by the house elves no doubt.

Alice sat up in bed as she eagerly tore open the envelope which had been placed on her bedside table. There was no need to guess who it was from. Alice quickly opened the card and was immediately met with Frank's all to familiar hand writing. "Awwwww!" Alice didn't realize that she had just said that out loud.

Jane averted her gaze from her beautiful bouquet of flowers, to smile at her cousin. "What?"

Alice couldn't contain her squeaks. "Frank knows how much I like legends so he wrote me a whole paragraph about how Valentine's day came about."

Jane just laughed as Alice re-read her card.

" _One myth contends that Valentine was a bishop who served during the third century in Rome. When Emperor Claudius claimed that married men made poor soldiers he consequently decreed that all marriages of younger citizens would be outlawed. However Valentine, continued to conduct marriages in secret between young couples, in the name of love. His success gained him unwelcome notoriety, which lead to Valentine being jailed and ultimately beheaded on the 14__th__ of February 269 A.D. However not before he fell in love with the jailer's daughter. It is thought that on the evening of his execution the bishop passed her a note declaring his love. It stated simply, from your Valentine."_

Sighing, Alice held the card close. Today was going to be the first Valentines day that she was going to spend with a boyfriend and she was finding it hard to contain herself.

()()()()()()()

Four rooms down however Sierra was feeling very different. She too was sitting up in bed but the rest of her friends were still fast asleep and unaware of the gifts that were sat at their sides.

Sierra stared at the card in her hand, scoffing as she read. She knew who it was from, not only because of the usual flamboyant sentiments but that the person had signed the bottom. Sirius…as self-assured as ever which annoyed her greatly.

No matter how much Sierra tried she found herself falling for his words and actually started to _believe_ that Sirius genuinely liked her. Sierra felt a lovely surge of warmth in her heart but she soon suppressed the sensation. _No!_Sierra was determined not to be like all those other girls…I mean sure Sirius was beyond handsome and Sierra was defiantly attracted to him…but it wasn't only that… Sierra had witnessed Sirius's moments of loyalfriendship. The most recent was when she had been in the crowd that day, watching Sirius as he restrained Frank. Sierra remembered being pleasantly surprised by Sirius's actions as she had thought that he would have joined in or at least encouraged the fight. After all it was no secret how much he hated Severus….

Sierra fell back onto her pillows and gazed up at the ceiling. Her arm hung over the bed and she sighed before allowing the card to slip from her hand and land on the floor… But and this was a big but….Sierra knew that she was just another one of Sirius's conquests…

()()()()()

After lunch most of the students hurriedly filed out of the great hall so that they could get ready for the Hogsmeade trip.

Alice jogged up the final flight of stairs along with Jane and Lily, who were just as keen to get changed. The girls dorm was abuzz since nearly every girl was doing her utmost to look her best. There was a frenzy of make-up sharing and shoe swapping as the girls helped each other out. Alice slipped into the dress that she had bought especially for the occasion and then began to tie up her hair with ribbon. There was a limited amount of mirrors in the dorms which meant that there were groups of about seven or eight girls all crowded around one.

You wouldn't think it but the atmosphere in the boys dorm wasn't any less relaxed which was mostly due to them being unorganized. James was bent over his trunk, flinging out clothes as he searched for something half decent to wear whilst Sirius groaned as every item of his wardrobe was either on the floor or needing ironing. Frank watched on whilst secretly feeling relieved that he was more than ready.

In no time at all everyone was assembled in the courtyard.

Both Alice and Jane laughed as they spotted James standing above the crowd calling out for Lily and so with a blush the head girl left her friends.

However soon enough William appeared. "Mind if I steal Jane away from you?" he asked Alice, who just grinned. Jane had already taken his hand.

"Of course not, Go go," Alice declared as she waved off the couple. (Now there was only one). The throngs of students had began to disperse as their names were checked off by Professor McGonagall.

Alice as always was soon distracted as she caught some movement out the corner of her eye and she turned to see that it was Sierra. It seemed like the she wasn't going to Hogsmeade as Sierra silently slipped out of the courtyard and moved towards the back of the castle. It was as if this decision was on purpose because in the next moment Sirius came into view and intrigued, Alice studied her friend as he walked through the thinning crowd, slyly searching for someone. _Hmmm…_

Just then everything went dark and Alice felt two warm hands over her eyes before she heard that teasing voice. "Guess who?"

Alice smirked. "Walter." She heard the groan and giggled as her vision came back.

Frank then appeared from behind her. "Why are you so cruel to me?"

Alice stood on her toes to kiss his cheek. "Sorry."

Frank quickly drew his girlfriend into a hug. "Come on lets go."

The couple trailed behind the last group of students. Alice took a quick look back at the courtyard as she wondered where Sirius had disappeared to.

With a few more steps Alice felt Frank nudge her slightly. Alice focused on what her boyfriend was pointing at and smiled. Lily was already half way down the hill and by the looks of it the head girl was commandeering the date, as a confused James followed his girlfriend in the direction of the Quidditch pitch.

()()()()()()()()

The sun was still shining high in the cloudless sky and there was only a slight chill to the air. Alice began to walk through the village towards Madam Puddifoot's where she assumed they were going, however it seemed like Frank had other plans.

He just tugged on his girlfriends hand. Alice frowned as Frank led her down the small sloping path which had rows of trees on either side, stretching inwards to form a foliage arch. Alice found herself following along blindly, that is until she finally paused for a second to think…_hang on_! They were heading towards the shrieking shack! Alice turned to look up at Frank but he just smiled and continued on.

"_Surely not!" _Alice thought to herself as she gulped yet at that moment the isolated house came into view. "_Maybe Frank is not romantically inclined…."_Alice pondered_, "No that's impossible."_ She had seen his romantic side on more than one occasion. The couple had by now reached the wired fence and this is when Alice just decided to trust Frank's judgement after all they had come along way since their first kiss here.

Despite the fact that they had been dating for about five months Frank's stomach still churned as he felt nervous, yet keen to impress his girlfriend. This was the first time he actually _had_ a girlfriend to impress so this was all new territory for him. It wasn't fair…all women had to do was look pretty on Valentines day (which Alice was more than) whilst men actually had to organize something.

Frank took in a deep breath as he steered Alice so that she was standing right in front of him. "Your probably wondering what we're doing here?"

Alice let out a nervous laugh at the obvious statement. "Yes."

Frank drew her in until her back met his chest. "Well we are here because I'm going tell you something that will make you no longer afraid of the Shrieking shack."

Alice's forehead creased as Frank looked straight ahead and pointed to a window on the second floor. He was grinning now. "Did you see a white figure there the first time we were here?"

Alice felt her jaw drop straight away as she stared up at Frank, disbelieving. "Yes," was all she managed to breath out. "How did you…"

Frank indulged in his girlfriends comical expression for a moment before cutting in " I know because I saw it too."

Alice scrunched up her nose. "What?.. you never told me…what?"

All Frank seemed to want to do was kiss Alice as he watched her tirade. She looked so adorable when she was frustrated. Frank soon held up his hands as Alice pointed up at him in a threatening manner. "Okay okay I will explain."

Frank reverted his attention back to the shrieking shack. "Right…now what you thought Alice was a white figure was actually Madame Pomfrey…"

Alice soon interrupted "What!" she cried, spinning around in his arms.

Frank smirked. "Alice If you keep this up I won't be able to finish the story."

Alice flashed him a sheepish smile before turning back around. "Okay sorry go."

Frank gave her a quick kiss on the cheek before starting up again. "Well you see Madame Pomfrey always gets the Shrieking shack ready for Remus every month…" Alice quickly opened her mouth but Frank gestured for her to wait. "This is where he stays for the duration of his transformation. The villagers of Hogsmeade always hear noises coming from the house, evidently every full moon and they think that there are violent spirits inside. That's how the most haunted building in Britain came about. Professor Dumbledore's been encouraging the idea so Remus's secret is kept."

There was silence for at least a couple of minutes as Alice tried to digest the information. Frank soon moved to stand in front of her, whose eyes just sparkled with wonderment. She always did like a good old story.

Alice beamed. "Wow that's amazing!"

Frank grinned. "So are you scared now?" He couldn't hold back his laugh as Alice shook her head furiously. Frank took her hand and led her through the fence and onto the field. "Good because I set up a picnic early today and would hate for it to go to waste."

In the distance Alice spotted a red blanket spread out In the middle of the grassy plane along with a wicker basket on top. "You are too much," Alice squeaked, pushing Frank slightly. He strode towards the picnic with his shoulders thrown back and his head held high as he gave himself an imaginary pat on the back.

The couple soon settled into a comfortable position on the blanket and they lapsed into silence as Frank began to bring out the food.

When he was done Alice leaned into Frank's side and they both fed each other. However Alice soon found herself twirling the stem of a half eaten cherry with her fingers. "Erm Frank…" He turned to look at his girlfriend, smiling. "This is really lovely….but it's just that I want to talk about…you know," Alice gestured for a little bit but when Frank remained confused she sighed. "I've been thinking about what Sirius said…in the common room."

Suddenly realization dawned on Frank causing his eyes to go wide as he dropped the sandwich in his hand. "Oh…about that."

Alice started to chew on her nails as she nodded. "I can tell, even if its only for a few minutes that there's been a sort of awkward tension between us since that conversation ."

Frank was unable to speak.

Alice swallowed back the lump in her throat." I've been having these... feelings since Christmas…I mean I do… um… I want to…with…with you." She knew that she was blushing furiously.

By now Frank's body felt more like a furnace as really inappropriate yet wonderful images filtered into his mind of a naked Alice beneath him, her hair wild and fanned across pillows, her calling out his name in the throws of passion…. Frank squeezed his eyes shut as he violently shook his head, trying to clear it. All this time he had been avoiding the subject because he so desperately wanted his first time to be with Alice but he thought she wasn't ready…that she didn't want to but now she was telling him that she was willing!

Alice watched Frank's internal battle and frowned as his Adams apple began to bob. "Are you okay?" she asked which caused Frank to open his eyes.

He managed a strained smile. "I'm fine." This however did little to comfort the Alice who was fiddling around with her fingers. Frank soon composed himself and took her hands out of her lap so that he could hold them. "Alice look at me…" she did as Frank asked and Alice was met with his soft, somber eyes. "I've got an idea."

"Oh."Alice's voice was much quiter than she had anticipated.

"Well as if it wasn't obvious enough to you I more than want to… with you..." This did make Alice laugh both in embarrassment but also happiness. "and now that we've got it sorted that we both mutually want to with each other I think that we shouldn't worry about it or force it…when the times right then we'll just see what happens. Okay?"

Alice finally felt at ease and wrapped her arms around Frank's waist, hugging him. "Okay."

The day progressed and many passers- by thought that the couple were stark raving mad. After all they were having a picnic next to the shrieking shack.

Without fail every time, whether it was a villager or a Hogwarts student they would just stop and stare at the couple. However every time this happened Alice and Frank exchanged knowing glances as their smiling eyes shared a secret.

()()()()()()()()()

Back at Hogwarts

Lily and James were both sitting in one of the highest stands in the Quidditch pitch. The head girl had her arms weaved around the head boys waist as she laid her head to rest on his shoulder. James couldn't contain his grin. After all those years of chasing Lily she was finally his and he silently vowed that he would never let her go. Also who ever said that the thrill was _only_ in the chase?

"As much as I love this why are we here?" James asked.

Lily smiled as she watched the sun dip behind the horizon. "I just didn't fancy spending this day in Madam Puddifoot's along with nearly every couple in Hogwarts."

James chuckled. "True true." It was a fair point because he was defiantly sure that the little tea shop would be heaving since there wasn't really anywhere else to go.

"There is also another reason…"Lily started and James gave her a quizzical look. The head girl grinned. "I've never told you this before but even when I didn't like you I still found you really hot whenever you played quidditch."

James's eyebrows shot up straight away at the confession before he grinned. "Is that so?"

Lily was now blushing slightly. "Yes…I guess I was astounded as everyone else was by your skill and how you always led our team to victory."

James puffed out his chest and winked at her. "Well Lily your only human."

The head girl narrowed her eyes yet she had a contradicting smile. In an instant Lily pushed her lips hard against James's, knowing that this was the only thing that would wipe away his smug expression.

The Quidditch captain quickly ensnared his girlfriend so that she was now straddling his hips and he crushed her to his chest.

Lily giggled for she new that she was winning. She could feel the hard oak of the bench against her knees but she wasn't complaining. The couples lips soon danced for dominance so Lily snuck her arms around James's neck. Thinking quick the head girl gently pressed her body against James's and this caused him to part his lips further as he groaned. Lily took advantage of the situation to kiss him harder. The air crackled around them. Even after all this time Lily's touches still drove him crazy. The head boy used his strong arms to pull his girlfriend back so that he could create some much needed distance between them. Lily was no match for James's brute strength and so she was easily prized off him. James by now was breathing quite loudly. "You should really stop or I might just end up wanting to…"

"Maybe I want you to," Lily panted, her eyes blazing. There was silence then as the couple just stared at each other with fiery eyes. The passion had been awakened inside of them... and the fire is not so easily put out. Not even the gentle breeze helped as it swirled around the pair, teasing strands of Lily's long hair whilst fanning across James's face. He could hear her heartbeat, loud, frantic and strong.

Before Lily had time to blink she was lying flat on the bench with her boyfriend towering over her.

James braced his hands on either side of her body as he grinned. "Tut tut Lily. Who's the rule breaker now?"

God the smug expression had returned but this time Lily found it so hard to care. Her emerald green eyes glowed. "Well I don't see you complaining," she whispered, huskily.

In a flash Lily was sandwiched between the bench and the hard contours of James's body. He loomed over her with a smirk, only a hairs breathe away. "Indeed."

Lily playfully glared at her boyfriend. He always had to have the last word.

()()()()()()()

Things may have been going great for James and Lily but for some, Valentines days wasn't going remotely as planned….

By now the sun had disappeared from view and the sky was now inky blue in colour.

Sierra stood beside the black lake, tossing stones which represented each one of her grievances into the river - This was her way of revealing stress. Sierra watched as the pebbles soared through the air and landed with a plop into the large expanse of dark water. Yet she was soon interrupted by leisurely footsteps that threatened to intrude upon her solitude.

Sierra turned to see who the incriminating footsteps belonged to.

She scowled as Sirius strode without hesitation towards her, his hands in his pockets looking dashing as ever._Oh how I loathe him!_

"Hey I was just wondering if you got my card?" Sirius asked with a wink as he drew closer.

Sierra pressed her lips together into a tight straight line. _Cocky little git!_

The dark haired wizard was now leaning against a nearby tree. "You know for someone who I told I like your not acting the way I imagined.

Sierra sneered. "Oh please… like…you like and chase anything that wears a skirt." Her words dripped venom.

This snide comment caused Sirius to jump back and Sierra faltered for a moment as he looked like she had just been slapped him across the face.

Suddenly Sirius's grin slipped right off his face and his eyes blazed. "That's not fair!"

Sierra arched an eyebrow. "Right because your behaviour at the new years eve party would suggest other wise."

"I was drunk," Sirius quickly replied, knowing that it wouldn't help but it was better than nothing.

Sirius was right, it didn't help and Sierra just barged past him but not before she had the final word. "What a surprise that there's not anything of substance about you. I bet you can't even tell me something real about yourself can you?"

This caused Sirius to clench his fists. He was reaching the end of his tether as he had lost count of how many times Sierra had walked away from him. "You know what I don't think you are in a position to judge character." Sirius shouted after her.

This seemed to have the desired effect because Sierra halted immediately.

She spun around, her eyes nothing more than slits. "What's that supposed to mean?" Sierra seethed.

"Well lets see…first of all you don't have a life. You pour all your time into school work and nothing else. You even lie to your friends saying that your busy but all your busy doing is studying…" Sierra masked her shock with rage._ How did he know that!_

Sirius continued on though, regardless of how angry he was making her. " I'm quite certain that your not as cynical about Valentine's day as your showing and that you would actually like to be with someone. Your feeling lonely because all your friends have boyfriends and yet you won't admit that you need someone." Sierra by now was gritting her teeth together but Sirius was unable to stop the rush of words. He had her attention now and he wasn't able to let it go. " Also you think your better than me just because you've always behaved yourself at school. You always turn your nose up at any sort of practical joke but maybe that's just because your so up tight and have no sense of humour…. Plus you haven't even come to a single quidditch game. What do you think your too good for that as well?"

Sirius had to take a breather after his rant and Sierra just glared at him for a few minutes. Sierra looked fit to explode. He had just implied that she was neurotic, a snob and some sort of pathetic girl pining for a boyfriend.

Sierra had her arms stretched out slightly and her fingers flexed in mid-air as if she was about to lunge at Sirius and start strangling him. "Ahhh…Why do you even CARE if I go to a bloody game?" was all Sierra managed to scream out due to her frustration- It was rendering her speechless.

There was silence. Nothing stirred, not even the black lake. Sierra had clenched her hands so hard that her fingernails were biting into her palms.

Sirius advanced on her, his jaw tight. He decided on answering the first question. " Fine. Okay you wanted to know something real about me how about this….I despise my own mum and dad…How about that?"

This caught Sierra completely off guard and she had to take a step back, stumbling over her feet as she did so. Sirius however just took a step forward. "Yeah That's right and they defiantly hate me too. Does that make you happy?" he spat out.

Sierra's anger faded fast as her eyes grew wide and her lips parted. All she could do was just gape at Sirius. The raw tone to his voice caused her to wince. "Sirius I…"

He cut her off though. "No no no Sierra you wanted to know so I'll tell you everything." Sirius was now standing right in front of her. "My entire family are sick, death eater bastards and they hate me because I won't support their desire to kill every muggle, muggle-born and squib…" Sirius grabbed her wrists and Sierra was forced to look into those dark, tortured eyes which she had tried so desperately to avoid. " They always harassed me, mocked me and tried to force me to except their ideals…. It got so bad at my house…" he paused for a moment before he corrected himself. "that _place _that I couldn't take it anymore and I ran away."

Sierra tried to speak but just ended up opening and closing her mouth. She struggled to free herself from Sirius's iron grip, trying to get away. Her heart felt so incredibly heavy that it sank to the pit of her stomach. She had never felt like such a horrible person before. Sierra might as well add judgemental to the list that Sirius had made. Her eyes stung. The pair just stared at each other, for a moment that seemed to last an eternity.

Sirius quickly let go of Sierra and walked past her. Sierra watched on helplessly as he stormed back to the castle. He didn't even look back…not even once. The stinging sensation in Sierra's eyes grew steadily worse to the point were her vision became blurred. A lone tear slipped down her cheek and as Sirius disappeared from view, more soon followed.


	32. Of dreams and a dog

**Song of the day - Adele -someone like you**

* * *

Sirius tossed and turned around in bed, completely restless. It had been four nights, four tiring nights since he had actually been able to sleep. His argument with Sierra had been constantly on the fore fronts of his mind. With a frustrated sigh Sirius wrestled with his duvet as he turned onto his side. _Eh?_

Sirius tilted his head up slightly to face the door. He saw something….or rather someone in the shadows. The shape was too obscure to make out therefore Sirius quickly lost interest…_Probably a house elf or something? _The Gryffindor with his head half sinking further into his pillow continued to stare straight at the door. The shadowed moved in the darkness again and this time it roused Sirius from his sleepless stupor. He pushed himself up onto his elbows so that he was half sitting up. Sirius's eyes bulged as he saw a slender figure emerge from the shadows. He could recognize that beautiful face anywhere…the one that had been terrorizing his dreams.

"Sierra?" he gasped as she walked into the rays of moonlight that streamed through the open dorm window. She was at his side in an instant with a pained expression but also a small smile. "I'm sorry," was all that she whispered.

Sirius just gaped at her. "Sierra what the…" but she silenced him with her lips.

Sirius was completely taken aback but he didn't put up a fight against the warmth of her kiss. He willingly resigned himself to her surprise attack and soon enough Sirius was responding with equally hunger. "_Has she forgiven me?" _Sirius eagerly enveloped the young witch into a tight embrace, practically crushing Sierra to his chest in the fear that she, at any moment was about to slip away like a wisp of cloud through his fingers. Sirius pulled her even closer and this resulted in a pleasurable outcome as Sierra lost her footing and landed right on top of him. Despite the fact that he was temporarily winded he didn't give a dragons ass…not while she was this near to him and not shouting.

Suddenly though Sirius felt his shoulders begin to shake. He could hear the faint sounds of his name being called and so he reluctantly tore his lips away from Sierra's. She stared down at him, confused.

Sirius continued to shake and then when he blinked Sierra was gone…. _What?_

"Sirius! Sirius!"

His suddenly shot open. Frank was towering over him. Sirius just stared up at his friend for good few minutes, wondering why he was standing were Sierra had been just a mere moment ago.

Frank's eyes were drooping as he stood beside Sirius's bed. "Okay look I know you're my friend Sirius…," he croaked. "But please can you stop talking about Sierra…I want to get to sleep!"

With a huff Sirius sat up in bed, causing the covers to slip right down to his waist. _A dream. _He massaged his aching temples. O_nly a dream…guess that means that I haven't fixed anything. S_irius groaned as he held his head in his hands.

Frank tried to give Sirius a reassuring pat on his shoulder but missed completely. He swayed slightly on his feet and thinking that it was best Frank took a seat on the end of his friends bed. "What's wrong man?"

"I made her cry," Sirius stated suddenly.

Frank's eyes went wide as his slow brain began to process the information. "What?…Who?…How?"

Sirius strained his vision and was just able make out the outline of Frank. "Sierra…It was on Valentine's day…we had a fight…and said things to each other that we shouldn't have."

The pair lapsed into silence following the statement but then a long loud snore echoed about the room. For a moment Sirius and Frank were distracted as they watched Peter babble something prior to rolling onto his stomach.

Frank smiled wearily. " I wouldn't worry about It Sirius you'll sort it out…" Frank then fumbled around as he blindly sought out the comfort of his own bed.

Sirius watched as Frank collapsed onto his duvet, not evening bothering to get under it. "Do you really think so Frank…?" Sirius asked hopefully as he stared at his friends back. However when a reply didn't come Sirius's forehead creased. "Frank?…"

Yet there was nothing but dead air which was soon followed by snoring. With a huff Sirius dropped back down into his bed…unlike Frank he didn't fall into slumber.

()()()()()()()

The morning had come, to the delight of some and to the distain of others. The sun shone bright and dappled the great hall in an intense white light. Many of the students had to shield their eyes against the strong glare but they defiantly weren't complaining about the good weather.

In the middle of the Gryffindor table sat Frank. He was oblivious to everything. The noise of the screeching owls soaring over head or the packages that were raining down from the roof and thudding all around him or even the clattering of cutlery. Frank's head lolled forward every now and then as it slipped off the hand that he was using to prop it up. Alice sat opposite Frank, looking thoroughly amused. She tried not to laugh as she watched Frank's face slowly descend closer into his plate of scrambled eggs and bacon.

Alice dipped her hands one at a time into her goblet of water before flicking the droplets in Frank's face. This caused his head to shoot straight back up, so fast that Alice wondered whether he got whip lash.

"Frank why are you so tried?" Alice asked and Frank didn't miss the concerned tone to her voice.

Frank smiled before reaching for her hands and pressing them to his face. He sighed as the fresh water cooled his sore eyes. "Sirius has been keeping me up," Frank mumbled.

Alice frowned at her boyfriend. "Oh?"

Frank let go of her hands so that he could explain. His eyes swept up and down the table to make sure that Sirius wasn't around. "Okay Alice I need your help?"

This caused the her to lean forward. "With what?" she whispered.

Frank took another look before gesturing for his girlfriend to come closer. "Right Sirius has had a fight with Sierra and neither of them are sorting it out…now can you _please_ talk to her because I need to get a full nights sleep!"

Alice had heard all the whispered gossip in the hallways about Sirius and Sierra's little tiff. A few Gryffindor girls were even pleased since it meant that Sirius was still single. They seemed to be thoroughly irritated by the fact that he paid Sierra so much attention…as they felt that she was undeserving of it.

Alice just nodded at her boyfriend. "No problem I'll take care of it.." In response Frank reached for his girlfriends lips in thanks but the witch just pushed her still wet hands against his face, laughing as did so.

()()()()()()

Alice decided to use her powers of deduction to find Sierra and her first guess was the library. The Gryffindor was spot on because upon entering the deserted library Alice saw the dark haired witch sitting in the far corner, under an open window. She had her head resting against an open book with her eyes closed and a peaceful expression on her face. The ancient floor boards whined underneath the red carpet as Alice made her way towards the witch. Alice didn't need to worry about waking Sierra as her loud foot falls seemed to do exactly that.

Sierra looked about the room dazed. Her eyes were slightly red and she managed to just swallow back a yawn as she smiled at her transfiguration partner. "Hey Alice…" Sierra then furiously rubbed her eyes. "I'm sorry do you need something?"

She witnessed as Alice's smile wavered and her hesitation is what suddenly caused a light to go off in Sierra's head…_bloody gossip!… Can't they just mind their own business!_

Sierra's grimace said it all. "You are no doubt here for Sirius."

There was quite for a minute as Alice thought_. God she is getting defensive already…this is going to be harder than I realized. "_ No he doesn't know…"

Sierra held up her hand. "Alice _please_ I don't want to talk about it." There was a finality to her statement yet Alice defiantly ignored it as she moved closer_. _However the pain in Sierra's eyes was harder to disregard. "Sierra he…"

"He's a serial dater," Sierra stated bitterly, "I'm just another one of his passing fancies. End of story"

Alice felt hurt by the accusation being made against her friend. "Is that how you feel or is that what other girls have been telling you?"

Sierra just shook her head. "It doesn't matter and anyway…" she then laughingly joked, " I don't want to go out with someone who's slept with nearly every girl in our year."

Alice slammed her hands on the desk. "Sierra honestly he's _not _like that…the girls he dated in the past just made up that they had sex with him…to make themselves look more desirable" Sierra listened intently but continuously crushed her ever rising hope. Alice continued on defending her friend. " Sirius let the rumours fly because he use to think it was cool."

Madame Pince then appeared from behind a bookshelf, craning her neck to see what all the commotion was all about. The two Gryffindor's quickly apologized so that librarian would leave them alone.

There was desperation in Alice's voice now as she turned back to face Sierra. "Listen he really likes you he told me."

Sierra's eyes widened for a fraction of a second before she composed herself, putting back on her façade. "Look Alice I have nothing against you but Sirius is just an ass. I'm not interested in him." With that Sierra pushed back her chair and left before another word could be exchanged

Alice watched her leave with a sympathetic smile. She then sighed. _Looks like I'll have to get Lily involved._

()()()()()()()

"_I'm such a bitch!" _Sierra thought as sat on the grassy hill which Hogwarts was perched upon. Sierra stared out into the night as she recalled her conversation with Alice. God the day had passed so agonisingly slowly and between avoiding Sirius and trying to concentrate on school work Sierra wondered if she would ever be able to survive the last few months of school.

The night was silent apart from the odd screech of an owl coming from the windowless room of the west tower. A soft breeze caused Sierra to hug her cloak closer to her body. However she was soon distracted from the cold as her gaze landed on the game keepers hut which was at the foot of the hill, just on the outskirts of the forbidden forest. The lights of the little dwelling were on. Sierra squinted her eyes and was just able to make out Hagrid through his open window, with what looked like another one of his dangerous…and probably illegal pets. Sierra chuckled before inhaling deeply. Even though it was 10.30 pm and she was sitting outside by herself Sierra had never felt safer. To her Hogwarts was an impenetrable fortress and whilst she was here nothing could harm her.

Sierra drew her knees to her chest before she wrapped her arms around them, absolutely content on just sitting with her thoughts. After all when you lived in a dorm room with four other friends and ate with those same friends everyday, studied with them and basically spent every moment with them it was hard not to want to grab a precious moment of peace. To just be alone. Sierra thanked Lily at this point for pretending that she hadn't seen her escaping out of the castle. The head girl had been doing Sierra this small favour for a couple of months now.

Sierra soon found herself sighing as her mind drifted back to valentine's day. She felt like such a fool. Sierra was unaware that she was flinching as she recalled Sirius's words.

Sierra was suddenly jolted out of her thoughts though by that familiar sound of a panting animal. She twisted her head to see the dog that had been keeping her company since her return from the Christmas holidays. Sierra believed that the dog always returned to her because she offered it food. She stared at the animal for a while as she pondered how the dog could be so huge considering that it was a stray. It looked more like a black bear walking on all fours than a dog.

Sierra smiled. "Hello black." The dog seemed to stop dead in it's tracks and she thought that she must have offended the animal. "Sorry my furry little friend but I don't have a great imagination… so I just thought hey you have a black coat…." In response the dog wagged its tail enthusiastically before it eagerly lay down at her side. Sierra however was still thinking of names. "Okay how about the French for black?…noir…you know jazz it up a bit" Sierra scratched her cheek. "Yeah that will do."

Sierra quickly brought out the food that she had pilfered from the school kitchens but for some reason the dog didn't seem interested today. Sierra took to combing her fingers through the animals thick matted fur and giggled as it leaned into her touch.

"I'm going to tell you a secret now that your here…" Sierra watched intrigued as noirs ears pricked up. "Mostly because I know you can't tell anyone." she continued. "I…I need to tell someone or i will surely explode." Sierra tried to get her words out but they seemed to be stuck in her throat, perhaps it was because she had been suppressing her feelings for so long. Sierra screwed up her eyes and the words left her mouth in a rush. "I may show that I hate Sirius but I actually really really like him."

Sierra felt strangely liberated as the confession passed her lips, like she had just cast off a iron weight that she had been carrying. All Sierra felt like doing was running..she just felt so free from sharing her deepest secret. Sierra breathed in deeply before smiling. "Ah I feel much better now." She told the dog, who Sierra swore looked wide eyed.

She just laughed quietly before scratching behind noirs ear. "Honestly sometimes I think you can actually understand me…"

Sierra then lay down on the cold grass, frowning. " But…. I do hate the fact that I fancy Sirius so does that mean that I hate him or am I attracted to him…" Sierra rubbed her temples. " I always see red when any girl goes up to Sirius and starts to flirt with him…so does that mean that I like him or does that mean that I just hate him …but maybe all the hate stems from jealously…so in that case that would mean that I defiantly like him."

Sierra turned to look at the dog who seemed to be just as confused as her. "Yeah…that's just a short insight into what goes on in my head." Sierra dropped her guard and allowed her vulnerability to shine through. Sadness soon radiated from the depths of Sierra's eyes as she stroked the dogs muzzle. "I just don't want to get hurt," Sierra whispered to the animal.


	33. Quidditch final

**A lesson learnt: In times of tragedy you truly learn who your friends are. I have been left slightly bitter due to my expectations that i had for my so called best friend .**

**Anyway i hope you enjoy**

**Thanks everyone for all your lovely reviews**

* * *

The heat of spring had arrived and the Whomping Willow seemed slightly subdued as it basked in the glorious sun. Fresh green leaves were already blooming as the tree awoke from its winter slumber. There wasn't a single wisp of cloud in the bright blue sky. Every student had shed their heavy cloaks and opted for wearing their shirts alone. They were all making their way towards the Quidditch pitch.

Alice however sat in the Gryffindor common room, amongst the Quidditch team. She was sure that Hogwarts had never before known such tension. No nothing like this. It was almost tangible in the air.

The day of the final quidditch match of the year had arrived, much to the anticipation of the entire school. Even the professors were losing their neutral stances and were gunning for their own houses. On top of all this the last match was between none other than the schools most fearsome rivals. Gryffindor versus Slytherin. A game that surely could not be missed.

Both the students from the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff houses had sided with Gryffindor and openly declared their support for James and his team. It was the whole school against the Slytherins. No one was sympathetic about this though as they had made that bed and, as the saying goes, the Slytherins should lie in it.

The early morning sun bathed the entire common room in a clement light. Alice sat on a nearby sofa, observing James as he riled up his team. He could definitely deliver a speech. Even she felt motivated and empowered and she wasn't even playing. Alice soon caught the eye of Frank who seemed less affected by the Quidditch captain's words and this caused her to chuckle softly. Frank looked less than amused and his attempts to adopt a surly manner were wholly endearing. He really did hate playing Quidditch but ironically he was good at it.

James had dubbed Alice his secret weapon and she wasn't sure whether she liked the fact that she could persuade Frank to do something he didn't want to. She would never exploit their love like that and deep down Alice knew that Frank realized this. That was reason why he allowed her to sway his decision to play. Frank was replacing Orson… again, the poor fourth year had croaked under the pressure and accidentally injured himself during the last Quidditch practice.

Suddenly soft footsteps distracted Alice from James's riveting speech. She slyly turned to see Sierra, her inimitable good looks were unmistakable. From the gloss of her hair to her piercing dark eyes which seemed goldish-brown in the sunlight. Sierra had a leather bound book in her hand which immediately evoked anger in Alice's heart. She stared at Sierra. _There is __**no way**__ you're __**not **__showing up for the final game!_

Alice's attention immediately shifted to Sirius who sat on the opposite side of the room, on the outskirts of the circle and closest to the portrait door. It came as no surprise to Alice that he spotted Sierra. The pair gazed at each other for a moment. The rest of the Quidditch team oblivious to them apart from Alice.

Sirius inclined his head in a nod of acknowledgement and before a brief pause Sierra did the same. There was a certain degree of civility between them but nothing more…there was no way that nothing had changed in several weeks. Sierra lingered and Alice begged silently that she would say something when Sirius noticed the book in her hand. Hurt flashed across his eyes and Alice wanted Sierra to erase it. She however proceeded out of the common room and Alice felt like cursing her stubbornness.

Alice suddenly felt the sofa depress beside her. "I wouldn't worry about it?" the more than familiar voice advised.

Alice still had her eyes fixed on Sirius, who was trying to hide his deflation "It's hard not to Frank."

Frank smiled sadly at his girlfriend. "They'll work it out."

()()()()()()()

The noise inside the Quidditch grounds made everyone's ears ring and rendered them deaf. Screams and insults were being thrown about but they were lost in the whirlwind of shouts. On one side of the oval pitch there was a sea of green and snarls. On the opposite side there was the contending clamour of red and gold. Banners galore and lion heads everywhere. This was the side where the brave at heart dwelled and in the minds of all Gryffindors the house that would win the Quidditch Cup. Lily and Alice were amongst this crowd, sitting on a hard bench and trying to peer over the heads of a couple of tall boys who were sitting in front of them. The stands were so crammed that there wasn't even any space to move a mere inch.

Both Lily and Alice looked up at the sky as the teams suddenly emerged and were now hovering in mid air.

Alice scanned the players and quickly found Frank. "GO FRANK!" she screamed yet her voice was drowned out by the rest of the students. However she continued to shout up words of encouragement even though she knew that Frank could neither hear nor see her. Lily did the same only she was cheering for James.

Madame Hooch soon took her position in the middle of the two teams and spent longer than normal explaining the rules. Alice had a feeling that this lecture was more directed to the Slytherins who had a tendency to play dirty.

There was answering roar from both crowds as the whistle blew and the Quaffle was released.

The game was vicious from the get go. "That's bloody blurting!" Alice shrieked at Madame Hooch only half an hour into the game. Alice had surged to her feet as had many of the other Gryffindors. The witch could clearly see one of the Slytherin chasers locking broom handles with Frank, trying to steer him right into one of the towers filled with spectators. The foul however went unpunished as Madame Hooch was on the other end of the pitch scolding the Slytherin beater who had nearly smashed Jane's broom with his bat. Alice could literally picture Snape's grin somewhere in the opposing crowd and that was enough to cause her anger to flare up again.

"For god sake just send them all off!" A fuming voice shouted.

Alice turned to search for the owner of that voice_. Yes! _She was more than in agreement with him or her. Suddenly Alice felt her rage subside and she didn't feel so annoyed about the game anymore. Alice couldn't contain her grin as she spotted a very worked up Sierra only a few feet away. Her perfect teeth gritted together and set into a snarl. She was gesturing at the sky and cursing as she witnessed Sirius getting fouled for the third time in a row.

After a whole hour and thirty minutes, once the game and the crowd had finally settled down as the guilty parties were rebuked Sierra froze in place. Her features slowly warped into an expression of shock as she just realized what she had been doing and more to the point where she was. Sierra's eyes subtly began to dart around as she prayed that no one had seen her little tirade. Sierra breathed a sigh of relief because one glance of the crowd showed her that they had all been too caught up in their on fury to notice her. Sierra quickly sat back down and retrieved her book which lay abandoned on the floor. Her mask of indifference had returned and Sierra feigned boredom as she read.

However within five minutes the crowd were bellowing again. Immediately Sierra's eyes shot up and searched the skies for Sirius. She was practically tearing up the white pages without noticing. Alice watched this display with a smile so wide it hurt. P_oor book is bearing the brunt of her worry. _All Alice felt like doing was running up to Sierra and giving her a hug.

By now the Slytherins were in the lead, so much so that the only hope of Gryffindor winning was by James catching the snitch.

Alice turned to face a frustrated Lily. "You do know that if we lose we're never going to be able to live it down."

Lily grimaced. "For sure," she kept her eyes on James as he frantically searched every inch of the pitch but he was still holding back. "We still have to get one more point before James can catch the snitch."

Alice ran her hands roughly through her hair and even found herself jumping up and down on the spot. None of the Gryffindors could sit as they were all too wound up.

"LOOK!" a Gryffindor unexpectedly yelled.

Everyone spotted Sirius bolting for the Slytherin's goal posts.

"COME ON SIRIUS!" both Lily and Alice screeched as he expertly weaved through the members of the Slytherin Quidditch team, all savagely trying to stop his advances. The Quaffle in Sirius's hands was like a red cape to a bull, every single Slytherin was after him. Derek and Robert flanked their team mate, beaters raised and at the ready for any surprise attack. However they were soon subjected to two bludgers which were shot in their direction. Robert had to soar after one of the iron balls which was heading straight for James whilst Derek had to deal with the other one.

Sirius was now un-manned and he knew it. Alice chewed on her bottom lip as she kept Sirius In her sights. There was the very broad and fierce Adrian Alan right behind him. Alice had no idea why it surprised her when she watched Adrian grab a hold of the tail of Sirius's broom. She gritted her teeth together.

"Everte Statum," a voice whispered. Suddenly there was a flash of blue light and Adrian was thrown back 10 feet through the air, taking his broom with him.

"What the…" Alice looked around but Lily quickly nudged her and pointed to the left. Alice felt her mouth fall open as she witnessed Sierra slyly stowing her wand back in her robes before (like everyone else) searched the crowd for the culprit.

"Gryffindor score!" the commentators shout echoed.

Alice turned her attention back to the game when she heard screams. It was as if everything happened in the blink of an eye. One minute there was Sirius smirking beside the goal posts and the next thing a bludger collided with his leg. Alice clapped her hands to her mouth, horrified as his broom jerked and hurtled down to earth. She spotted Adrian throwing a wooden club back to the beater on his team.

Alice and Lily quickly fought their way through the gasping and gawking crowd and raced out of the stands. The green grass became flattened under the girls running feet as they made their way towards their friend.

Alice stared at Sirius as he lay flat on his back, his features paled from the drop. "Oh my god Sirius are you okay?" Alice asked, knowing that it was a stupid question. When his body remained still and he didn't even respond Alice felt her heart speed up tenfold. Without thinking her hand collided with the left side of his face.

This did cause Sirius's eyes to shoot open and he clutched his cheek. "Owww!" he cried.

Alice dropped onto her knees. "Oh my god I'm so sorry I thought you were unconscious."

Sirius just stared up at her with his mouth hanging open as he reeled from the additional wave of pain. "So you slapped me!"

Sirius continued to groan whilst Alice continued to apologize

"Stop moving," Lily said sternly as she too sank to her knees. Lily ignored the pair of them as she pressed her fingers lightly against Sirius's leg. _Hmm….yes a clean break._

The game proceeded above the trio of Gryffindors and they could hear brooms cutting through the air as they whizzed up and down the pitch.

Lily tilted her head to the side slightly and spotted a white figure approaching. It was Madame Pomfrey rushing towards them. Lily quickly turned back to her friends "It's definitely broken," she whispered.

Sirius hissed out in pain as he sat up. "Alice help me onto my broom."

Lily had already left to distract Madame Pomfrey whilst Alice just gawked at Sirius's request. "What! Are you crazy?"

Sirius clenched his teeth as he struggled to mount his broom that was hovering beside him. When he was unable do so he turned to stare straight into Alice's eyes. She saw his quite determination. "Come on Alice this is not only the last game of the year but the last game I'll ever play."

Alice huffed before easing Sirius's broken leg over the broom. She held onto him until he was fully seated.

"What the hell are you doing!"

The pair both turned around sharply and were faced with Sierra.

Sirius stared at the grief stricken witch, not even the pain that he was experiencing dulled his smile. "You came."

Sierra was sure that all she wanted to do was hit Sirius across the head for stating something so obvious. "So… what of it!" she retorted, her voice strained. "You shouldn't continue on playing in your state." Alice could feel the electricity between them and not only that but she saw how the determination doubled in Sirius's eyes. With a grin Sirius kicked off the ground with his good foot and Sierra's eyes followed as he soared back into the game.

The Gryffindor girls were quickly ushered back into the stands, where the crowd's attention had shifted to the two seekers who were locked in a vicious battle to reach the snitch. That one inch gold ball was all that separated Gryffindor from bitter defeat or a glorious victory.

Alice sucked in a breath as Edmond tried to ram James into one of stands. She watched on in shock as the Slytherin seeker inadvertently crashed instead of James. There was an answering hiss from the Slytherin crowd as Edmond collided with the wooden frame of a tall stand. He crumpled and fell with a thud onto the ground. Alice scrunched up her face. _That's going to hurt in the morning_

"GRYFFINDOR WIN!" the commentator suddenly bellowed.

There was an almighty uproar and all Alice could do was look around confused. That is until she saw James clasping the winged ball and she started to scream like a mad women. "OH MY GOD!" She and Lily jumped in each others embrace.

"AHHHH! WE WIN WE WIN!"

Somewhere close by Sierra stood, trying to bite back a smile as she watched Sirius shouting and flying about like crazy. The rest of the team joined him. There was no use Sierra just clapped along with the rest of the Gryffindors and settled for shaking her head as she did so.


	34. Celebrate good times

**Song of the day: Into your arms - The Maine**

* * *

The hospital wing was alive with the sound of rowdy Gryffindors, much to the dismay of Madame Pomfrey. The quidditch team formed an inner circle around Sirius's bed while the rest of the Gryffindors made up the outer circle. Since Sirius had to spend the next two days in the hospital wing the party came to him. Alice squeezed her way through the sea of Gryffindors and just managed to reach Sirius. Frank sat on a chair to his left whilst Lily was perched on the edge of Sirius's bed.

By now there was nowhere to sit... or stand for that matter and Alice found herself looking for a space. Frank grinned as he spotted his girlfriend and gestured for her to come to him. Alice sat happily on Frank's lap.

Sirius held his head up high as he smirked. "Who's your Quidditch hero Alice?"

Alice draped her arms around Frank's neck and hugged him. "Well my lovely boyfriend of course."

She giggled as Frank kissed her before making a face at Sirius.

"You might be Sierra's hero though," Alice teased, knowing that her comment would have the desired effect.

Sirius sat up a little straighter at the mention of the witch's name. He tried to look about the room in a casual manner. "Oh is she here or something?" he asked hopefully.

Alice bit her lip as she tried to suppress an "Aww"

Just then Remus, James and Peter suddenly appeared out of nowhere and not emptied handed either. The trio came with an array of Honey dukes sweets and two crates of butter beers.

"How did you…?" Alice started as James handed her a bottle. However the Quidditch captain was quick to move away, handing out bottles of butterbeers to the rest of the Gryffindors who were by now dancing away to the loud music that blared from the centre of the room. The solid gold Quidditch cup glimmered as it surfed above the throng of students. Despite the fact that darkness had settled on the world outside, the Gryffindors were by no means finished celebrating. There was a sudden white flash followed by an explosion of colour that lit up the ceiling of the Hospital wing.

"YEAH!" Every Gryffindor cheered as they raised their butterbeers in the air, therefore the fireworks continued.

()()()()()()()

It was late and Sierra knew that there was only 5 minutes left of visiting time.

"_But it is safer this way_…," she thought to herself.

Sierra only wanted to tell him off but that little dark voice inside the depths of her mind was telling her otherwise. It wasn't hard to spot Sirius as he was the only one in the entire hospital wing. He was in the far corner of the room, lying on top of the white bed sheets and Sierra felt her heart cease to beat. The floor was littered with shiny confetti and multicoloured Honeydukes wrappers. There were streamers hanging from every inch of the roof and there were some intertwined between the metal railings of the beds. "_Must have been one hell of a party_," Sierra thought as she saw the Quidditch cup resting on the Sirius's bedside table.

Sirius looked up to see who those slow and timid footsteps belonged to and he couldn't help but smile as he saw Sierra. "Worried about me were you?" he asked as he sat up. "Couldn't keep away?"

Sierra was unimpressed, partly because she saw his leg bandaged up but mostly by his lax attitude. "No and yes I can," the dark haired beauty retorted. Sirius found himself already melting inside at her gorgeous glare and the way she had her hands placed on her hips. _God she looks so amazing when she's fiery._Sierra's eyes sparkled in the candle light. _"_I've come to tell you how much of an idiot you are…" She said and this seemed to wipe the smile right off Sirius's face. "For risking your health for a game."

"Well we won didn't we," Sirius told her, looking smug and pointing to the cup.

Sierra threw her hands up in the air and was about to turn on her heel. "You know what, I don't even know why I bothered to visit you."

Sirius folded his arms across his chest. "Maybe it's because you care about me. Why don't you just admit it?" he demanded.

Sierra jutted out her chin as she defiantly kept silent and made her way towards the door. "I'm out of here."

However when Sierra heard shuffling behind her she spun around to see Sirius limping towards her, his face scrunched up due to the pain of movement.

"What the hell are you doing!" Sierra cried as she ran towards him and placed her hands on his chest, trying to prevent him from falling on his face.

"Stop being so stubborn," Sirius told her through clenched teeth.

Sierra shook her head feebly. "Just sit down."

Sirius was thrown off slightly by her pleading tone but he stood stead fast and in the blink of an eye Sierra felt his strong hands on either side of her face.

Her eyes bulged. "What the hell do you think your…." but Sirius didn't let her finish as in an instant he forcibly pressed his lips against hers. Sierra immediately began to push her hands against his chest, trying to get away but Sirius just held her securely. Sierra's muscles were tense as she tried to fight the tingling sensations that were now warming her very heart but with every passing second her posture softened. She felt completely dizzied and all Sierra could do was grasp onto the front of Sirius's shirt- Not knowing whether she was still pushing him away or in fact pulling him closer. Once Sirius felt Sierra's resistance fade his hand slipped down to her neck were it laid to rest as his fingers splayed across her jaw. He encircled her waist with his free arm. Sirius wanted a firm hold of Sierra so that he could make absolutely sure that this was real.

It was. Sierra was flesh and blood. Her frantic heart Sirius could feel. The heat off her soft skin he could feel. Sirius smiled against her lips. "Give in, tell me how you really feel," he whispered as he punctuated each word with a kiss.

Sierra sighed, completely defeated. "I was scared when you got hurt," she breathed. Forget veritaserum, Sirius's kisses alone could make the witch spill her secrets.

Sirius laughed as he gazed into her hooded eyes which were now like molten chocolate. "Yes you were." was all he said before he claimed her lips again.

Sierra tried to gain some control but it was really hard when she felt his heated breath caress her face. "Y…you should stop."

Sirius just rubbed his nose tenderly against hers, "But you don't want me too."He watched amused as Sierra tried to formulate a response.

However the pair were suddenly interrupted by a shriek and Sierra immediately jumped away from Sirius to see a scandalised Madame Pomfrey standing behind him.

"Mr Black get back into your bed," she commanded before turning on her, "and Miss Ali return to your dormitory. I have had enough today."

Sierra was blushing like mad but she was glad that her skin tone did not betray her embarrassment. "Eh…em…y…yes… I'm sorry…eh right away," she stumbled not able to meet Madame Pomfrey's eyes.

Sierra took one last fleeting looking at Sirius who was now lying on his bed again. He winked at her and she could see him snickering at her mortification from behind his hand. Yet Sierra had no time to dwell on what had just happened between them since Poppy was practically chasing her out of the hospital wing.


	35. Breaking the rules

**Life's good**.

* * *

After a week, the joy of winning the Quidditch cup had faded into worried anticipation for the upcoming end of year exams…well for Alice anyway.

This is why she found herself sneaking about the corridors past curfew.

There was the gentle patter of rain against the wide arched windows as Alice made her way down the marble staircases. The night sky was nothing more than a stretch of black, reminding Alice of Honeyduke's liquorice. Dark-grey clouds loomed over the stars and the full moon ominously. Upon reaching the third floor Alice stood procrastinating in front of the library entrance. She was locked in an internal battle. Debating whether she should break another rule or not. Alice edged closer to the entrance of library, her footsteps echoing in an incriminating fashion.

Alice watched her hand extend out for the door knob.

"ALICE!"

She screeched and spun around.

Whilst recovering from the sudden spike in her blood pressure Alice registered Frank approaching her. His hair was specked with tiny droplets of water and he was grinning in a roguish manner.

Alice glared at her boyfriend. "Frank! Don't scare me like that," she snapped but the he had the look of a wounded puppy which only served to melt away her anger.

Alice slapped Frank's arm as he hugged her. "That's not fair. At least let me be annoyed with you for more than a few seconds."

Frank just chuckled into her hair as he relished in the warmth of their embrace. "What are you doing here?"

Alice peered through the glass panelling of the library door. "I left my textbook in there and I need it to complete that essay that is due in tomorrow."

Frank scratched his head. "Err…well just go in and get it then." This simplistic reply told Alice that Frank really didn't understand her dilemma.

She sighed. "No one is allowed in after 8pm."

Frank remained undeterred. "And…. It's not like there are giant trolls stopping you."

When Alice still didn't make a move he just laughed before crossing the threshold of the library.

"Frank get back here," Alice whispered harshly as she made a grab for him but she wasn't quick enough. Frank disappeared, taking his mirth with him and Alice was left scanning the corridor for any sign of an approaching figure. Luckily no one came.

"Urgh Frank," Alice whined as she too rushed into the library, taking care of the creaking doors which she shut gently behind her. The Gryffindor was half expecting a loud siren to go off at any moment but nothing happened. It took Alice a while for her eyes to adjust to the darkness but soon enough she managed to see the vague outline of objects and began to navigate her way through the library.

"Frank. Frank," She hissed as she went.

Alice had her arms outstretched so that she could feel her way through the large room. Stumbling through the abyss Alice moved towards the balcony at the centre of the library which overlooked the lower floor. She knew she had left her book on one of the tables there.

An eerie silence hung in the air and guilt gave Alice the constant need to look over her shoulder, in case Madame Irma Pince was lurking nearby. Alice was eventually going to hunt down Frank but for right now she had to get her book.

Just realizing that Alice had her wand with her she muttered "Lumos."

With this light she managed to quickly spot her book. "Yes. Yes. Yes." Alice rejoiced as she grabbed it and turned on her heel. Logically she thought that Frank would have made his way back to the front of the library. Therefore Alice began to jog back the way she had came. The semi darkness had caused warped shadows to appear and Alice had to confess that she felt slightly scared. Her skin did crawl. After all the fear of darkness is much more intimidating as it is the fear of the unknown which is fuelled by our own inhibitions and imagination - a very dangerous combination.

The next thing Alice knew a pair of strong arms wrapped around her waist and she was drawn into the dark recess between two book shelves. Alice had no time to smother back her shrill cry.

Alice thrashed around in the persons arms but her trepidation soon disappeared as the sound of soft chuckling graced her ears. She sprung out of her "kidnappers" arms and pointed accusingly at him. That trade mark boyish grin was what Alice was met with.

"Frank you swine!" Alice made a move to punch him but he caught her fist with ease. Alice glowered at her boyfriend. "I'm going to hex you good and proper," she vowed.

Frank's eyes gleamed as he leant down to her. "That's not very nice after all I did help you get your book."

Alice just wanted to rid Frank of his smug expression and so she took another swing at him. She groaned as he caught her other hand.

Frank grinned as he held both her wrists loosely over her head. _"_Tut tut Alice now that wasn't a very Gryffindor thing to do. Was it?"

The air seemed to heat around the couple as they gazed deeply into each others eyes. Alice's annoyance and Frank's amusement gave way to something far more intense. As if under a spell the pair began to lean closer to each other, their lips a hairs breath away...

"Who goes there?" a grouchy voice suddenly shouted.

This seemed to break the trance and Alice's gaze turned to her wand which was still issuing light. "Nox," she quickly whispered.

Just then a lantern emerged from somewhere near by. Alice peered through a gap in the wall of books to see Mr Filch only a few bookshelves away from where she and Frank were hiding. Alice tried to stifle her giggles. The caretaker had his usual grimace in place as well as one eye slightly closed as he glared into the darkness. His teeth seemed a darker shade of yellow thanks to the lamp light. Even if Alice hadn't seen Mr Filch's face his tattered brown coat would have alerted her to his presence. Sometimes she wondered if he wore it to bed. Filch shuffled nearer with his back hunched and his whole body bobbing in a comical fashion.

Mrs Norris swiftly came bounding around the corner and stopped in front of Alice and Frank. Her dust- coloured fur was standing on end and her yellow eyes shone menacingly. The retched cat began to snarl at the Gryffindors and within a blink of an eye Mrs Norris was clawing away at Frank's trousers.

"What have you found my sweet?" Mr Filch shouted, far more joyfully. By the sounds of the strained wooden floor boards underneath the carpet, the caretaker was approaching at quite a speed- probably invigorated by the opportunity to punish a student.

Frank smirked as he took his girlfriends hand. "Guess it's time to go"

Alice squeezed Frank's hand before they both bolted from behind the bookshelf.

Mr Filch arrived just as the pair where legging it down the aisle. "Get back here you petulant children."

Alice revelled in the adrenaline rush as she ran as fast and free as she had done when she was a child. The laughter burst through her lips as Frank led the way. They both weaved through the bookshelves and tables, crisscrossing every now and then through the aisles as they tried to shake off the very determined Mr Filch and equally determined Mrs Norris.

"Stupid cat," Frank breathed as they dashed past the restricted section.

Once the couple had reached the entrance Alice slammed the door shut behind her and locked it. Knowing that they had out run the elderly caretaker the pair stopped for a moment and gasped for breath. The laughing had not helped whist they had been running. With their fingers still intertwined Alice and Frank turned to witness Mrs Norris running straight into the hard oak of the library door and the couple burst into a fresh fit of laughter. Mrs Norris began to hiss and spit as she scratched the door. Alice stuck out her tongue at the feline that was glaring at her.

"Come on let's get out of here," Frank urged as he tugged on Alice's hand. Both in hysterics they ran back to the Gryffindor common room


	36. The book thief and confrontations

Silence had fallen on Hogwarts castle as that dreaded time of the year had finally arrived. Despite the glorious sunshine and the clear blue sky the majority of students were cooped up in stuffy classrooms or in the library -Everyone was knee deep in revision.

Alice was sitting in the Gryffindor common room. With each stroke of her quill Alice had to fend off sleep and with hindsight she realized that staying up all night revising wasn't a good idea. Alice was a woman on a mission and that mission was to get an outstanding grade in all of her N.E.W.T's…and ultimately become an Auror. Time passed so agonizingly slowly as Alice poured over her textbooks, trying to soak up every important fact. Lily had holed herself away in a room somewhere in the castle as had Frank and the others. After all there are three things we do alone. We are born, we die and if you are a seventh year student about to leave the comfort of school you sit the end of year exams.

The sky steadily grew dark.

Alice soon felt her head loll every now and then as the urge to close her eyes and resign herself to sleep became all too strong. The table in front of the witch was covered with wrinkled- up, balls of parchment, ink bottles open textbooks and empty tea cups.

Finally the Gryffindor gave in and reclined on the sofa. "I'll just rest my eyes for 5 minutes.". ….

()()()()()()()

**The next morning**

The early birds chirped and sang as they flew through the morning air. There was a gentle breeze which rushed through the Hogwarts grounds. Frank leisurely strolled down to the common room which lay empty as most of the Gryffindors still lay fast asleep in their beds. The fire had died down but the early morning sunshine bathed the room in light.

Upon venturing inside Frank realized that he in fact was not alone. There was a solitary, still figure that lay on a sofa situated in front of the fireplace . With in a few steps Frank recognized the figure as his girlfriend. Frank sighed heavily as he approached Alice. She was covered in a blanket of parchment, she had a quill resting in her open hand and was using a hard textbook as a pillow.

Frank shook his head. "Your crazy," he muttered to Alice as he silently moved around the sofa to watch her. She was sound asleep. Her side fridge was resting in the wrong direction and the ribbon that Alice wore to hold up her hair had loosened considerably. She had her eyes closed and her thick eyelash cast shadows on the apples of her cheeks.

Frank watched as Alice restlessly moved about in her sleep. It became clear to him that his girlfriend couldn't find peace even in slumber.

()()()()()()()

The growing noise of loud chatter caused Alice to stir and her eyes slowly flickered open. She had no idea what time it was. Everything was blurry and it took a few seconds for Alice to regain focus. It was like déjà vu all over again as Alice stared up at the large chandelier. Groaning she held her head as she sat up. However her eyes soon flew open.

"MY BOOKS!" Alice cried suddenly which caused a few Gryffindors to give her funny looks. The witch didn't care though as she stumbled to her feet. Everything was gone! Her parchment, the tea cups, her books…everything she only thing that lay on the table now was a note. It read: **If you want your books back meet me beside the black lake.**

Alice felt her erratic heart, beat wildly in her chest. Was someone trying to make her have a panic attack?

The first culprit that sprang to Alice's mind was that bastard Snape. _He would just love to get one over on me._

Alice quickly combed her fingers through her hair which didn't really help though as her hair was still in complete disarray and it looked more like the straw hair of a scarecrow. Alice rolled up the sleeves of her shirt and straightened her skirt as she left the common room. All the while Alice descended down the stairs she felt her fingers flex around her wand which she was gripping tightly in her hand. Severus was dead! She was so sick and tired of that filthy aspiring death eater.

Alice's anger continued to intensify as she stormed out of the castle. Yet confusion soon clouded her features as she approached the still, clear water of the black lake.

Where Alice had expected to find a gloating Slytherin she found…Frank.

"What are you doing here?" she asked her boyfriend.

The concerned expression on Frank's face caused the witches lips to part as she gaped at him. However her eyes suddenly caught sight of her books on the grass. They were only a few feet behind Frank.

It slowly dawned on Alice that maybe it was her boyfriend that was responsible for this little stunt. His apologetic smile and the guilty glint to his eyes confirmed this.

Alice made a bolt for her study material but anticipating this move Frank swiftly caught her.

"Frank let me go!" Alice demanded whilst she struggled against his hold. "I'm wasting time. I have to revise."

Alice knew full well that Frank was too strong for her but she still continued to fight him. "Frank," she whined as her books suddenly disappeared without warning .

Frank had to drag the thrashing Alice back towards a small tree which was nearby. He sat down at the base of it and forced her to do the same.

"Either you sit here or I'll keep your books away from you for the whole day," Frank threatened. He had adopted a strong timber to his voice which left no room for compromise. Alice quickly relented her efforts to escape and reluctantly she leaned against Frank's chest, just trying to ease her tense posture.

An exasperated sigh escaped her lips but Frank remained stead fast in his goal to make his girlfriend relax, at least for a couple of hours. "This is tough love Alice."

Alice grumbled something that he couldn't make out.

"Please Alice just take a break…" Frank urged as he stroked her hair. "Your working yourself into the ground."

This seemed to cause a few frustrated tears to leak from her eyes and Alice buried her face into Frank's chest as he hugged her. "Sorry I'm just stressed," she mumbled against his shirt.

Alice revelled in the smell of Frank's cologne and the welcoming heat of his body. She had craved this closeness for a while now because all she had been doing lately was pushing her boyfriend away. Alice had no idea why during exams she always isolated herself and preferred to deal with her problems unaided.

Frank tightened his arms around Alice's waist. "It's okay to be. I know how important these exams are to you."

Alice eagerly reached for Frank's lips and he did not deny her. He kissed her for all that he was worth and soon enough the couple had to pull away. They just gazed at each other intently for a while as they tried to regain their breath.

Alice smiled as she laid her head to rest on Frank's shoulder. "So…what's been bothering you then?" she half whispered half sniffed.

Frank raised his eyebrows.

"Don't deny it," Alice warned, pointing a finger up at him as he opened his mouth to protest. "You may be better at hiding what stresses you out but you can't hide it from me."

Frank rubbed his temples, showing Alice his frustration and the witch just smiled softly, silently willing him to speak.

He half smiled. "It's… Exams as well."

Before Alice could say another word Frank's lips clamped down on her own and the witch felt fit to burst . Yet Alice could feel the desperation in Frank's kiss as if he was trying to seek some sort of comfort. Unwillingly Frank soon pulled away and began rubbing his nose against Alice's. The witch giggled.

"You know me too well," Frank stated with a grin, resting his head against the tree trunk.

Alice smiled. "Of course! You've lost your appetite and when you didn't touch the steak and Yorkshire pudding yesterday, _that's _when I knew something was wrong."

Frank genially looked surprised which only made her laugh.

"What kind of girlfriend would I be If I didn't even know your favourite food?" Alice asked. All Frank could do was smile as he shook his head, utterly astonished.

Yet the second Alice turned her attention to the lake, Frank's face fell.

()()()()()

**That night**

When students were supposed to be tucked up in bed there were still two that walked the halls of Hogwarts- One searching for the other.

Frank heaved a heavy sigh as he began to make the momentous journey back to the Gryffindor common room from the first floor. He found himself smiling despite his gloomy mood at the memory of spending such a wonderful day with his girlfriend. Just holding Alice under the heavenly shade of a tree as they watched the calm waters of the black lake…and sharing long kisses so often that it could not be deemed proper for a school environment.

Frank soon frowned though. Something was vexing him…a lie he had told.

The Gryffindor was so wrapped up in his own thoughts that he didn't even realize that someone was following him.

"Frank for god sake!" a voice nearly yelled.

Frank spun around instantly, his face showing clear alarm. His eyebrows knitted together soon after he saw a certain Ravenclaw jogging up to him through the deserted corridor. "William…" the Gryffindor's frown lines deepened. "Can I… help you?"

William no longer wore that care free expression that Frank had become so accustomed to seeing.

The Ravenclaw stopped short of Frank. "Yes you can actually," William stated as he too frowned. "I'm going to cut to the chase…I want you to tell me the truth about what you know," he demanded.

Frank was about to speak but William pointed a finger accusingly at him. "I saw you on Christmas day after you overheard a private conversation between your dad and Alice's."

Frank froze as he cast his mind back to that day…to what he had heard…there wasn't a moment since then that he hadn't regretted eavesdropping. Frank remained silent which only served to further exasperate the Ravenclaw. William hated being kept in the dark and he knew that it stemmed from his father's death. William's felt his fists unclench though as he surveyed Frank. He really didn't look like his usual self, there were very faint but still visible dark circles under his weary eyes and his shoulder seemed to be permanently fixed into a slumping position. Frank even seemed to look a little thinner under his fitted robes.

The Ravenclaw placed his hand on Frank's shoulder. "Look I'm not Jane and I'm most certainly not Alice. I can take it…" William then faltered, "I already have a feeling that this has something to do with my dad and what he was investigating before his murder."

Frank slowly nodded whilst he roughly combed his fingers through his hair. He wasn't able to look William in the eye. "It…just so happens that… your dad discovered the beginnings of the rise of a band of death eaters…there is an army now…numbers maybe reaching into the hundreds…growing by the day." Frank was encouraged by the lack of fear that William showed therefore he continued on. "The leader is a former student of Hogwarts and he is recruiting current students as we speak."

Frank had to take a seat on the bench that was nearby. He sighed again as he rested his against the stone wall. Without a word William joined him, leaning back on the old wooden bench. There was nothing but silence. William stared straight through the open window on the opposing wall as did Frank.

The Ravenclaw began to toy with his hands as his mind toyed with the new found information. "Do you think…" William paused and he wondered about the implications of his words. "Do you have a feeling that Severus has joined them?"

Frank just shook his head. "I don't know," he breathed. "Maybe has…maybe he hasn't."

The pair didn't look at each other, instead they stared into the night.

William drew in a shaky deep breath. "Is there a war coming?"

Frank felt his face crumple. "Well the Ministry reckon we've got a couple of years…" The wizard found it hard not to just fall into despair right there. "But yeah it will come."

William exhaled loudly, not realizing that he had been holding his breath. "Wow…." He was about to add something more but Alice suddenly appeared from around the corner. Both boys jumped to their feet.

Alice's eyes were ablaze and her fierce gaze was directed straight at Frank. "I can't believe you lied to me!" she cried.

* * *

**Oh dear the happy bubble had to burst some time**


	37. Darkness on the horizon

**Thanks to NymphadoraTonksLupin19 for your lovely review. (I do love reviews their like warm fuzzies) It is because of you that i bothered to post this early.**

**Also thanks to the unknown reviewers who i can't reply to.**

* * *

William looked from Alice to Frank and then back again. Her expression was a mingle of both fury and hurt. It was a clear indication to the Ravenclaw that he should take his leave.

William pointed to the stairs. "I better…" but he didn't finish his sentence as he quickly walked away from Frank, giving him an apologetic smile.

Alice did not miss the opportunity to shoot William a glare as he walked past her. _How dare he imply that I can't handle tough news!_

The couple were now alone.

A deafening silence settled between them like thick fog. Alice couldn't seem to find her words not that she didn't have anything to say… she had too much to say…too much to shout. The feeling of betrayal was overwhelming and it left her with an immense pain in her heart…a bleeding wound. It was only now that she truly saw how exhausted Frank looked. How thin.

How had he bore such thoughts for such a length of time without telling her? Alice thought back to all the times they had spent alone together chatting about meaningless things, whilst he had such a burden on his mind. _Frank could have easily told me. _Everything made sense now.

Alice suddenly saw Frank's face on Christmas day in her minds eye. He seemed so…lost.

Frank and William's conversation rung loud in her ears like a church bell.

War

War in her time…The idea was incomprehensible.

"Alice I-" Frank started as he took a step forward. However Alice backed away every time he made an attempt to get close to her. The sting of rejection was almost too much for him to bear.

Alice had to look away as she felt her eyes sting. She tried to blink away the tears. "I can't believe you," was all she managed to breath.

Frank wanted nothing more than to see the rage return to his girlfriends face, it was a lot easier to deal with then seeing her hurt. "Alice please it's complicated," he tried to justify.

Alice shook her head frantically and the tears could no longer be held back and they ran down her cheeks, leaving hot,wet trails against her skin. Frank actually found himself gasping for he had never seen her cry. Never. The hopelessness that shone from the pools of her dark eyes left him breathless.

Alice turned her gaze away again, her lower lip trembling. "I have opened myself up to you in a way that I haven't even with Jane," She managed to confess through the tears that were choking her. "I just can't -"

"Alice please I was trying to protect you," Frank pleaded as he quickly walked up to her, grabbing her hands in desperation.

However she denied him, Instantly drawing away. Alice could not except his apology no matter how hard he pleaded.

Without warning imminent footfalls could be heard and the couple froze in place. A moment later Sirius came jogging around the corner and Alice quickly tried to stem the flow of hot tears.

"Hey guys Professor Dumble…." Sirius stopped as he stared at the pair of them,standing uncharacteristically stiff. He watched as Alice hid her face from him and Frank's pained expression cut straight through his heart. Sirius scratched the back of his head as he realized that he must have stumbled into a private moment. "Err…Professor Dumbledore wants all seventh years in the great hall…." When neither Alice nor Frank made an attempt to move he added. "Now" and with that Sirius quickly turned on his heel and disappeared.

Alice drew in a breath as she fanned her face, trying to dry away her tears. She didn't spare Frank another word or glance.

Yet Frank caught Alice's arm as she walked past him. "Wait. We have to talk about this…sort it out," Frank suggested.

Alice turned around slowly but only to glare at her boyfriend. Her eyes burned with a deep kind of hatred that he had never seen before. Frank actually had to take a step back. "I never want to talk to you again!" she spat and with that Alice yanked her arm free and raced down the corridor.

()()()()()()()()

The great hall seemed eerily quite without the rest of the students to fill it. The candles burned low and the enchanted ceiling overhead had adopted a stormy appearance. There was a single long table positioned at the centre of the room. The wide arched windows showing nothing but the black of night. Professor Dumbledore was standing on the platform at the end of the hall along with the four heads of house. Upon entering (by herself) Alice noticed all the puzzled faces of her fellow peers, some of whom were dressed in their sleeping hesitation everyone took a seat along the table, their brows creased.

Suddenly Jane appeared at Alice's side. "What's going on?" she whispered.

Alice just shrugged. "I think Professor Dumbledore wants to speak to us."

Jane shook her head. "No no with you and Frank."

Alice jumped at the mentioning of his name. She followed Jane's eye line to see that James and his gang were all huddled around Frank, whispering sadly. Frank looked up at that moment but Alice turned away. "Nothing," she grumbled at her cousin.

Jane didn't miss the sorrowful look on Frank's face and she was further confused by William who sat on the other end of the table with his friends, gazing guilty between Alice and Frank._Hmm…_

Jane however had no time to speculate as the headmaster cleared his throat. Professor Dumbledore raised his hands, signalling for silence and the hall went instantly quite . His soul-piercing blue eyes scanned the room and all the students waited patiently.

Dumbledore smiled. "I am sorry to delay or interrupt your sleep but there is something important that I must tell you -"

Frantic whispers broke out immediately but Professor McGonagall stepped in and shushed everyone.

The headmaster continued on as if he had not been interrupted. "The ministry does not want me to tell you this but I feel that It is my duty..."Alice tensed up in her seat as she had a feeling she knew what was coming. "You will be leaving the protection of the school this year…" Dumbledore then pointed to the table with all the seventh years on it. " and as you can see there are no house tables tonight and that is because school rivalries end here. You will be heading into the real world, beyond these castle walls where most things will be out of your control. Where you will have to help each other regardless of whether you were in Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw or Slytherin…"

Dumbledore's speech enthralled Alice. His words served to both inspire and frighten her. The witch had never realized how sheltered Hogwarts was…how safe…

Alice felt her stomach churn as she pondered on all the changes that would occur. She felt sick. Alice had to admit that she hated change. The fear of the unfamiliar and unknown had always held her back. Alice continuously heard Jane gasp beside her as the headmaster warned the students of the dangers ahead and the very real possibility of war. Alice could not help but notice how she, Frank, William and to her surprise Severus showed no trace of shock whilst everyone else seemed to be in a state of panic. Alice did her level best to ignore Frank's gaze which she felt constantly on her face.

By now Dumbledore's expression had turned solemn, the twinkle in his eyes diminishing slightly . Even Professor McGonagall looked downcast.

"I am saddened to think that you will live to see such dark times.." the headmaster announced.

Alice felt chilled to the bone.

"All I ask of you is that during the time of darkness you choose your side wisely…" Alice watched as Dumbledore's eyes paused on Severus for a moment and the Slytherin squirmed under the headmasters gaze. "For the decision will change the course of your destiny and perhaps haunt you for the rest of your life," Dumbledore finished.

Even when the students were dismissed, the deathly silence remained. Alice led the crowd out of the hall, eager to get away. The weight of Professor Dumbledore's words seemed to be playing on everyone's mind. Alice could tell by the way her classmates were lost in their own thoughts; The majority looked troubled.

Lupin, Frank and Peter walked side by side with their hands in their pockets and their heads bowed, as if they were in mourning. Behind them James was trying to soothe a distressed Lily.

Not too far off was Sirius with Sierra tucked under his arm. They were both trying to hide their dejection.

William and Jane were trailing behind the group of students, walking slowly with their hands clasped together tightly. It was as if they believed that by letting each other go, even for a moment one of them would disappear.

Alice felt her eyes prickle. _"What will become of us?"_

.


	38. Your future, my future, maybe our future

**Song of the day: Damien rice- 9 crimes (Beautiful beyond words)**

* * *

"_The passing of time…It's a funny thing_," Alice mused as she sat in the great hall. " _Sometimes it passes in the blink of an eye and other times it feels more like a slow form of torture that drags out your misery_,_"_

Alice found herself sighing as she twirled a golden spoon through her porridge, mostly toying with the cement looking mixture instead of eating. Whilst she did this the witch wondered how it was possible that weeks had passed and she still hadn't spoken two words to Frank. Pray, Alice did not want to recount all the awkward moments that she suffered in the Gryffindor common room, where she bumped into Frank on a daily basis. After all it was hard enough to avoid someone who was in the same house as you never mind someone you shared friends with.

A quick glance down the Gryffindor table showed Alice how fragmented her group had become. She spotted Lily pouring over her revision notes whilst willing James to do the same. Peter sat opposite the couple unfortunately looking like the third wheel he always did. A number of seats away from the trio sat Remus…and Frank. They were both joking around and smiling. Alice couldn't help but feel hurt as here she was utterly miserable and Frank was happy! She studied the him regretfully. Since her initial rage had passed Alice had continuously wished that she would have taken Frank up on his offer to sort things out…but now it was too late. Too much time had passed.

Alice hoped that her expression was not so obviously sour, as her gaze landed on Sirius and Sierra, who were in a world of their own. They had been joined at the hip ever since they got together and their displays of affection should not have annoyed Alice but they did. Every time Sirius leaned down to whisper something in Sierra's ear she would giggle girlishly and they found any excuse to kiss each other; It just grated on Alice's nerves. It was SO sickly sweet!…"_Fine I'm bitter," _Alice admitted grudgingly "_It's just not fair how people can be so smitten when my relationship is in ruins…well not just mines_."

Alice turned her attention back to Jane who was sitting opposite her. She wished that she could have spared her cousin the heartache but Jane had accidentally found out about Frank and William's conversation, as well.

()()()()()()()()()

The bells of the clock tower chimed loudly, signalling the beginning of a new hour and this noise seemed to cause Alice a great deal of distress. The witch became gripped with nervous anticipation and soon started to pace up and down, waiting for the doors of the great hall to open again. There was a flurry of activity on the other side as the elves readied the hall for the impending exam.

"_My final exam_." Alice felt her stomach lurch at the thought and the sensation of nausea was so overwhelming that she had to lean against a nearby pillar for support. "_Jeez." _Alice shook her head as she closed her eyes. "_How do I manage to get myself in such a state!"_

Alice pressed her lips tightly together and placed both hands over her mouth… an unnecessary precaution but you could never be too careful. She took to breathing in deeply through her nose and managed to regain some form of composure. This however was soon shattered when someone cleared their throat beside her.

Alice's eyes popped out of their sockets as she came face to face with Frank. She quickly jumped away from the pillar and hastily returned her hands to the pockets of her robes. A faint pink blush surfaced on Alice's cheeks.

Frank took a few tentative towards her. "Hey…you okay?"

His presence alone was enough to fluster her so with Frank actually _talking_…this was enough to induced a full blown stammer. "I-I'm f-f-fine," Alice snapped, which caused Frank's eyebrows to raise, in shock.

Alice mentally slapped herself, before quickly remedying her mistake. "Sorry I'm just really nervous that's all."

Frank nodded.

Alice managed a strained smile before she tried to speak again. There was a glimmer of hope in Frank's eyes. She watched as he looked at her expectantly but Alice just could not formulate a sentence. _Come on! Say something…anything._

"Okay..."Frank turned to take his leave. "Well…good luck then. You'll do great I know it. Yet even when the words had long left his mouth, Frank still lingered. A good few minutes passed until he actually started to walk away.

Suddenly the doors of the great hall swung open and all the students, who had been waiting shuffled inside. Frank weaved his way through the crowd and Alice felt a great pang of despair as he began to disappear. She had done nothing but ignored him and yet Frank had come to see how she was doing! Who does that? Frank was brave enough to take the first step and swallow his pride.

Alice knew that the hall was filling up fast but she had to do this. "Frank!" Alice managed to cry out.

His name echoed along the, now empty corridor and Frank tuned around sharply.

Alice smiled, her first genuine smile in a while. "Thank you... Your words mean a lot."

Before Frank had time to react she ran into the hall and the doors slammed shut behind her.

()()()()()()()()()()()

Alas Alice had reached the end of the school year. She couldn't comprehend the freedom that she would enjoy…providing she did well in her exams. Alice shuddered, not only at the thought of failing but because of the cold air that blew around her.

Straight after the exam Alice had ventured into the school grounds to get some air. The sky was stormy and grey and although she was meant to be in high spirits she felt more downcast.

It seemed that nothing could rid her of the worry that Dumbledore's words caused. _"Maybe there is no reason to be concerned about school grades…after all I might not have a future," _Alice thought." _Will we all end up like Mr Gray? _Just the thought of losing her family was enough to make Alice's eyes well up.

Upon chance Alice looked back and spotted Frank warily approaching her. _Oh why did he have to come now?_ Alice felt her tears on the brink of falling and so she quickly turned back around._God he'll think all I do is cry! _A strong breeze rushed past Alice's face, caressing her skin before rushing through her hair. She closed her eyes against the refreshing force and prayed that the wind did not carry the sob that slipped from her lips.

Alice then felt it…the presence of Frank, right behind her. She was just inches away from his strong body, their youthful hearts beating frantically as one.

"Alice…" was all that Frank said and yet how was it enough to make the tears slowly seep from her eyes and run freely down her cheeks.

Frank's voice wavered. "Oh my Alice."

She did not fight Frank as he gathered her into a hug. How could Alice refuse the comfort of his embrace? The warmth she had missed beyond words.

Alice soon twisted around and threw her arms over Frank's shoulders hugging him, fiercely. She her face into his neck. "Frank…I'm…I'm so sorry," Alice wailed, her voice cracking.

Frank felt his arms constrict around Alice's waist. "Shhh… it's okay," he consoled as he stroked her hair.

"No! No it's not..." her words soon became blurred like her vision. "All that time…wasted. I haven't spoken to you in ages." Alice was practically choking Frank but he didn't care as her tears against his neck hurt worse.

"Alice I'm here. Your fine," Frank uttered softly, trying even harder to comfort her but Alice wasn't having any of it.

She shook her head furiously. "No it isn't."

Frank didn't try to speak again. He only now figured out that Alice needed to get this out of her system. She had been suppressing her fears for far too long.

The sobs racked Alice's body as she clung onto Frank. He was her life jacket in the stormy seas of uncertainty. "I've been planning…all my life… for my future," the tears seemed to fall even faster as Alice's voice shook, "My entire school career was spent looking forward…planning for my academic future," Alice had to stop for a few minutes as her tears rendered her speechless. However Alice eventually managed to squeeze out her words in a very breathless manner. "I never… thought that I…I.. never imagined that there was a chance that a future wouldn't exist."

Frank clenched his fists. "No… your wrong Alice… we will have a future."

Alice's grip tightened on Frank "Really?"

"Absolutely!… God Alice I'm so sorry I didn't mean to lie to you, " Frank buried his nose in her hair. "I just wanted to protect you."

Alice managed to smile against his chest. "I'm a big girl I can take care of myself."

Frank nodded his head in affirmation. "I know but still."

"I always want you to be honest with me…no matter how hard it is," Alice added some time later and Frank nodded once more.

He kissed the top of her head. "Tell me… I'm I a part of your future?" Frank asked, slightly apprehensive.

The feeling however was banished from his heart as he heard a strangled laugh. Alice found momentary happiness. "Of course," she sniffed, "you were the only thing that was certain…ever constant."

Frank held Alice flush against his body as if he was trying to wring out all her sadness. "Oh Alice I love you more than you'll ever know.""

Alice could feel her body still as her anguish past. "I think I have a pretty good idea…" She soon began to wipe away the remnants of her tears. "You know you can cry as well," Alice teased through her sniffles. "There is no shame in it and it won't harm your testosterone levels."

All Frank could do was grin… _Your defiantly back_


	39. Make the day special

**It's been so long but i hope you like.**

**I'm getting into the Christmas mood (even though i don't celebrate it)**

* * *

**That night**

It had been an oddly cold day and Jane was surprised that the howling wind had continued on into the night. "It's meant to be spring," she grumbled as her hazel brown eyes followed the lines of a story. Jane wasn't really sure what to do with herself ,now that her exams were over…and without William.

With a sigh Jane set down the leather bound book she was reading. Rain splattered against the little window above her head and Jane hugged her knees to her chest. The padded arm chair rocked slightly as she tried to get more comfortable. Despite Jane's heavy heart she still managed to appreciate how handsome the Gryffindor reading room was. Every wall was lined with bookshelves and there was a grand piano in the corner, which Jane had bewitched to play her favourite songs. The Gryffindor closed her eyes to enjoy the soft music that drifted through the air and she found herself smiling. Leaning back against the wall Jane swayed her head from side to side. Images of Alice and Frank's reunion came to the forefronts of her mind. Sure. Jane was happy when she witnessed them getting back together but naturally such a scene did cause Jane envy...

_What's the point just sitting here, wallowing?" _Jane's eyes flew open.

"When I can have the same thing," she muttered to herself as she got to her feet. For once in the her life she wasn't going to let her shy nature and the fear of rejection hold her back. Without sparing a second thought Jane hurriedly left the room and made her way down the corridor.

However Jane's determination faltered slightly at the sound of a raised voice. _No keep going._

Rounding the corner she found the source of the racket. It was… William, standing in front of the fat lady's portrait, arguing. His eyes were more of an inky blue colour in the candlelight and were ablaze with frustration. "Look would you just let me in!"

The fat lady smoothed down her pink dress. "Not without a password!" she cried before tutting. "You have no manners young man."

William threw his hands in the air. "I'm not a Gryffindor so how the hell would I know the bloody password."

The fat lady just turned her nose up at the wizard and remained silent.

The Ravenclaw sighed. "Fine. Is there anyway you could just get Jane Gra…" William cut himself off. His eyes widened for a second. "Taylor. I mean. Can you get Jane Taylor?" he added hastily.

The fat lady shook her head again, which inevitably led to another argument. Jane had never known William to get so worked up over anything. Nothing ever fazed him. "_Wow when he's angry he looks strangely hot_…" Jane quickly shook the thought away before walking further down the hall.

"William?" Jane asked, trying to muster up the appropriate amount of surprise.

Instantly William stopped his tirade.

The Ravenclaw swept away the dark locks from his eyes, making sure that he was actually seeing Jane. "Hey," William barely managed to say before pointing lamely at the portrait, "I thought you were in…"

Jane just shook her head, trying to stifle her mirth. "Is that why it sounds like someone's having a fight out here?"

This was the only time Jane had ever seen a red tint to William's cheeks. He scratched the back of his head. "Yeah…Sorry."

A shaky laugh escaped Jane's lips. "It's okay. I was actually looking for you," she said, trying to ease his embarrassment. "I know a place we can talk." Jane then led William back to the reading room and all the while the fat lady's complaints followed them.

The door clicked shut and Jane turned to face the Ravenclaw but she had no time to speak. The next thing she knew William had her pressed up against the door and his hand came under her chin, forcing it up. Jane barely had time to register him bending to kissing her full, on her mouth. She wasn't going to complain, this was much better than talking. William's hands soon moved to cup her face so that he could kiss her harder. Jane had to close her eyes against the feel of his soft, wet lips.

The Gryffindor brought her hands to grab onto William's arms, to pull him away slightly.

"I think your jumping the gun a little," Jane muttered breathlessly.

William breathed hard. "Sorry…for that…as well as…"

Jane gave him a sweet, chaste kiss. "Don't worry. I know Will," she said before laughing, "I've heard Frank's apology speech already.."

William chuckled as he stoked her cheek, "So I guess you were watching them too."

Jane grinned as she nuzzled the side of William's face. "Yep."

()()()()()()()

**A few days later**

**(5 am)**

The world outside was still dark but in the Gryffindor common room sat two students. The dieing fire was the only form of light.

Frank rubbed away the sleep from his eyes. "I really think that the stairs to the boys dorm should turn into a slide as well."

Alice smiled apologetically. "Look I only woke you up because I couldn't wait.

Frank and Alice sat opposite each other and on the table between them lay two envelopes.

Frank smiled at his girlfriend. "I know. Are you ready?"

Alice gulped before nodding and with shaky hands she reached for her exam results. "3,2..."

"…1!" Frank finished and together they both ripped open their envelopes.

"_I'm going to die_!" Alice thought as she fumbled around for her letter whilst watching Frank, almost too calmly searching for his own. Her heart rate was increasing by the millisecond.

Taking a deep breath Alice painfully turned her gaze to the roll of parchment in her hands.

Her eyes grew as she scanned the inky words.

**TAYLOR alice**

_**Grade level: N.E.W.T.S**_

**Defence against the dark arts- O**

**Transfiguration- O**

**Charms- O**

**Potions- E**

**Herbology- E**

"What?" Alice breathed, comprehension not setting in. _Have I actually done it?_…She just gaped at her results. "No way…" Alice muttered, her heart now pounding. "No way…AHHH NO WAY!" she screamed suddenly.

Alice jumped to her feet as her lips stretched into a permanent smile.

Frank looked up, beaming.

They both quickly exchanged letters and Alice didn't even realize that she was bouncing on her toes as she read; Her limbs just felt so incredibly light.

Frank walked towards Alice. "Shhh people are sleeping," he chided half- heartedly. His eyes sparkled as he pulled his girlfriend into a hug. "Happy?"

Grinning, Alice grabbed Frank's tie so she could pull him closer. "You bastard. You got one more outstanding then me."

Frank just rolled his eyes at the comment. "Ugh your crazy. All that stressing and you get grades like that."

Alice just pouted before hugging her boyfriend, fiercely . "Looks like you'll have to put up with me for a few years of Auror training."

Frank chuckled. "Oh no how will I manage?" he moaned.

Alice let out an exhilarated laugh as she shook him. "I still can't believe we're going to be Aurors Frank! Aurors!"

Though he replied with a "I know." It was more automatic as Alice's previous comment still rung in his ears and Frank's smile soon turned serious.

Quickly he took Alice by the hand. "Come with me for a second."

Alice frowned as she followed him. "Where Frank? Isn't it a little early to go anywhere?"

He didn't answer and instead just led her down the many flights of stairs that were overlooked by hundreds of sleeping portraits. Nobody was walking the halls at this time of day but Alice wasn't worried since there were no rules stating how early you could leave your dorm. Alice soon deduced that they were heading for the covered bridge…strange but Alice didn't bother to question Frank.

The cool, crisp air welcomed the couple as they ventured outside and by now the sun was starting to peak lazily above the horizon, casting golden rays of light across the sky. A tranquil calm had settled around the surrounding mountains and forests. However this peace was soon to be disturbed when the whole castle awoke but not for right now. No. For right now it could be enjoyed.

Alice smiled as the covered bridge came into view. It was constructed of mismatched planks of walnut wood, that creaked as she and Frank walked over them. Unlike a conventional bridge, that was straight and flat this one was crooked and the walkway of wood rose and fell. Alice turned her attention to the thatched roof, that was drooping in its old age. There were fine strands of heather and water reeds inter-woven through the straw. The bridge was simply beautiful. All the imperfections gave it a rustic charm and though not as grand as the viaduct, to Alice it was still her favourite place.

Alice looped her arm through Frank's and snuggled up close to him as they walked. However she could feel a foreign tension in his body… but his face showed no sign of stress or anxiety. _Hmm. _Steering the uncharacteristically quite Frank towards the banister of the bridge Alice paused for a moment to enjoy the scenery.

"Dawn is breaking…" Alice stated just so to cut through the silence. She laid her head to rest against Frank's shoulder. "A promise of another day."

Frank smiled. "Yep, guess it's up to you how you fill the day….how special you make it."

Alice nodded in agreement as a soft smile graced her features. "True," she mumbled through a light yawn.

Frank gazed at Alice. There was a healthy pink glow to her cheeks (due to the cold) and her eyes shone with wonderment. In the early morning light her hair was more a shade of rich, mahogany than a deep black. "So pretty," Frank sighed internally as his gaze lingered on Alice's delicate lips. He knew that his girlfriend was a natural beauty because here she was, literally just out of bed and she looked gorgeous.

Frank also knew that he was in love, How? Well he could safely say that he liked all the sides to Alice's personality. He could like her when she became a stress-head or when she was too serious. Also Alice had a tendency to be neurotic and at times sacrificed everything to reach her academic goals. However all these negatives were completely over showed by her amazing qualities. One of them being how loving Alice was and how thoughtful. The witch would always take the moral high ground but at the same time would never judge people.

Alice was too busy studying the valley of trees, down below to notice Frank's stare. _She's so blissfully unaware…_

Frank swallowed loudly before pulling away from Alice. He didn't miss her confused expression as he moved to stand in the middle of the bridge.

"Alice I know how I can make this day special," Frank stated suddenly.

Alice quirked her eyebrows. "Oh…okay."

Frank rung his hands together. "Right well I was thinking…" However he chocked on his words as soon as he made eye contact with Alice. Her big brown eyes were intently staring back at him. "I…" Frank stopped again.

He soon began to pace whilst he muttered away to himself.

Alice looked on with a furrowed brow as some sort of internal battle raged within Frank. She just caught a glimpse of Frank's hand shaking uncontrollably, before it disappeared into the dark recesses of his robes.

Alice was more than thankful when Frank stopped pacing because she was beginning to feel dizzy. He stood in front of her and opened his mouth. Frank was on the verge of speech but for some reason he couldn't vocalize his thoughts. Alice just smiled and tried not to look impatient as she knew that this would put him off.

Frank rubbed the back of his neck and was unable to look at Alice as he spoke. "Well…" he started as if there had been no interruption "You don't have to say yes. It's not a big deal. I mean I've just been thinking about this for a little while….but it's probably going to sound crazy…" Frank continued to babble on.

Alice waved her hands in front of her to get Frank's attention. His mouth snapped shut in an instant. "Frank you haven't even said anything yet," the witch highlighted softly. "I'm pretty sure I'll love it, no matter what. Just tell me"

Frank released the breath that he had been holding in. He felt slightly reassured at her words and without so much as a warning Frank sank slowly to his knees, before Alice. Frank's piercing gaze never left her face. "It's more of a question than an idea," he said, the tremor in his voice quite evident.

Alice felt her throat constrict.

A gentle breeze rushed past at that moment .

Alice thought her eyes were about to pop out of their sockets. "Shut up!" she barely managed to utter.

Silence

Deafening silence…


	40. Moving forward

_Deafening silence…._

Frank's ears burned red as he pulled a small velvet box out of his pocket. His eyes were wide as he held it in a death grip. Frank didn't open the box though, let alone present the ring. It lay forgotten in his hand as he stared at his girlfriend, trying to gauge her reaction. Finally Frank said the words that Alice had been waiting to hear.

"Marry me."

It was that simple.

Yet those two words were enough to change everything between them and turn Alice's world upside down. The request left her winded as the enormity of the situation at hand knocked the air right out of her lungs. Alice had seen proposal scenes in films but they were always so outrageous and grand. This scene Alice was experiencing was pure and humble. There were no crowds of people or gimmicks, like rings in a champagne glass or fireworks.

She just couldn't believe it. Alice had grown to love Frank so dearly and with all her heart and now here he was on one knee, in the middle of a rickety ancient bridge asking her to be a part of his future. This proposal was a promise that Frank would be faithful to Alice, It was a promise of a family and a promise to love each other not only in the spring of youth but also when they became grey and old.

The cynics of the world would say that Alice was foolish. They would say that what she was just infatuated with Frank. That he was a passing fancy. After all what would a 17 year old know about love?

"Well enough to know when it's real," Alice mumbled into the air.

There was then a long stretch of silence because this was real life and there were no perfectly scripted words. Alice just couldn't process a thought. Each time Alice replayed Frank's proposal she felt….a strange warmth spreading inside her heart. It made her feel slightly nauseous. Maybe it was excitement bubbling up inside.

"Our relationship has always been more than a highschool romance to me," Frank added.

This was enough to cause tears to form in Alice's eyes as she pressed a hand over her mouth. Unfortunately Frank couldn't see her smile and so his eyebrows moved further and further up his forehead as his eyes bulged. He looked like a wizard about to receive the cruciatus curse. "Oh Alice no don't cry…" Frank begged as he stumbled to his feet, the box dropping out of his hand. "'You don't have to answer…We can pretend this never happened," he re-assured as he backed away from her.

Alice let out a half sob, half laugh as she ran for Frank and flung her arms around his neck. He was as stiff as a muggle surf board. Alice practically strangled him "No, Please…"She whispered into his ear, "Please don't take it back."

Frank's hands gingerly touched Alice's back as he reciprocated the hug. Alice could still feel his hands quake or maybe it was her body…she wasn't really sure.

Frank's mouth felt like sawdust and so he could only manage to ask one thing. "Why?"

Alice had to laugh again before pushing herself out of their embrace. Her eyes shone but they were still brimming with water. Alice felt strangely out of breath. "Because I say yes," she declared as she furiously wiped away the tear tracks that stained her cheeks.

Frank frowned as his probing gaze studied Alice. "Y…yes?" he enquired as if to make sure he had not dreamt Alice's response.

She just grinned, before nodding vigorously. "Yes yes yes. A thousand times yes."

Frank slowly plucked the small box from the ground and cradled it in his palms.

Alice's fingers inched closer and with a nod of approval she pried it open. This was the second time she found it hard to draw breath. Gasping Alice just gawked at the silver ring. There was a large round diamond in the centre that was a shade of red and as deep in colour as a rich wine. The stone was surrounded with smaller, pure white diamonds. The ring sparkled wildly in the sunlight and Alice thought she might go blind.

"Oh my…oh my god…I'm…"Alice stumbled as she stared at the magnificent piece of jewellery. She tried to grab a hold of the ring but her trembling hands would not allow her to do so.

Frank smiled as he clasped her fingers and Alice curled her palm around his fist. Silently, he eased on the ring and she was sure that she was about to self combust.

Still shaking in Frank's grip Alice whispered. "Th-thank you." as she wiped away the fresh tears.

He just shook his head before her kissing her. "No. Thank you."

()()()()()()()()()()

Tangled up In each others arms Frank and Alice reached the common room and were ready to announce their good news. However when the portrait door swung open much to the astonishment of the couple there was already a party in full swing. Confetti bombs were bursting in the air and showering silver and gold glitter on the abnormally large crowd.

"How long were we away for?" Frank laughed.

Alice just shrugged. After all this was an awfully odd sight, considering it was only 8 am. Given the choice no student would ever up at this time.

Frank navigated Alice through the crush of people and the closer they came to the centre of the room the louder the boisterous shouts and jeers became. That voice could only belong to one person… only one person could make a spontaneous party.

Alice chuckled as Frank pointed Sirius out to her. He was standing on a table and was really getting the crowd going. Sierra was only a foot away from him, trying to look disapproving but was enjoying herself way too much. Even more so when Sirius pulled her onto the table. Sierra had to wrap her arms around his waist just to stop herself from falling. The table wasn't really big enough for two.

"What the hells going on!" Frank shouted up to his friend.

Sirius smirked. "Celebrating! For our results and…" he pointed over to Lily and James who were fending off well wishers.

Alice's eyebrows drew together as Lily and James shook off the crowd so that they could approach her and Frank.

The head girl didn't say anything but just lifted her ring finger. James beamed.

Alice squealed.. "Oh my god!" She then smiled as she placed her hands on her hips.

"You guys totally stole our thunder," Alice joked, " Just because you guys are the Gryffindor IT couple."

Lily's forehead creased. "What?" Alice show cased her own ring and Lily screamed.

"Sirius! Sirius!" James yelled.

Alice shook her head and her hands. "No please we don't want a big fuss…" She turned to Frank for support. "Right?"

He nodded.

However it was too late as Sirius saw them and his eyes bulged. Frank quickly moved towards Sirius as did James. "We'll take him down," they said before fighting through the crowd, trying to get to their friend.

Suddenly Lily grabbed Alice's hand. "Bloody hell!" she remarked.

Alice shied away as her friend examined her ring. "It's beautiful," Lily complemented.

"I know," Alice squeaked. Both girls looked at each other for a long moment, knowing just how happy the other was and they started laughing. Lily pulled Alice into a hug and squeezed hard.

()()()()()()()()()

**The next day**

Sierra stood at the foot of the stairs, that led up to the boys dorms. The rest of the seventh years had already left for the graduation ceremony.

Sierra was practically jumping up and down. "Hurry up Sirius otherwise we're going to be late!"

In due time Sirius emerged from the dorms, looking decidedly worried. She took no notice and just grabbed Sirius's arm. "Come on," Sierra cried.

Sirius only walked half way across the common room before he spun his girlfriend around. "Hold on a minute."

Sierra groaned as she imagined the courtyard filling up. "Urgh….Sirius can't this wait?" she whined, looking more at the door then at her boyfriend.

It was only when Sirius shook his head frantically did Sierra stop bouncing on the balls of her feet and turn to give him, her undivided attention. She could see a glint of actual fear in his eyes and Sirius's face looked awfully ashen.

Sierra felt her forehead crease. "Are you okay?"

Sirius's chewed on his bottom lip. "No actually I…"

She reached out for his hand. "Oh my god?…. Is it something serious? What… are you ill?" Oh I didn't…"

Sierra continued on until Sirius pressed a finger to her lips. "Could you just stop talking for a minute," he pleaded, "There's something I have to say." Sirius couldn't seem to quell the tension that was travelling up his spine.

"Smorry," Sierra mumbled against his finger.

Yet as the minutes ticked by and still Sirius said nothing she found her patience dwindle. Frowning Sierra removed Sirius's finger. "Okay Look Si…"she started but before she could finish Sirius swiftly pressed another finger to her lips.

"Move in with me," he blurted out.

Sierra blinked a couple of times.

Sirius unknowingly held his breath.

There was a moment of silence before she started to laugh. "Ha good one Sirius."

Sirius recoiled at what he believed to be Sierra's mocking tone. He loathed this particular tone as it never failed to strip him of his pride.

Sierra's mirth soon faded . "Oh… your…." she stared intently at Sirius's sombre face. "Your serious."

Sirius managed a grim smile as he tried to mask his wounded expression. "Yes I am. I just thought it was a good idea," he said defensively.

Sierra panicked as Sirius moved away from her to lean against the back of a nearby sofa. He faced the opposite direction, with his arms crossed.

" I've been thinking about Professor Dumbledore's speech "Sirius started, "and with Frank and James getting engaged…everyone's moving forward with their own lives…," Sirius paused for a moment, "when it comes down to it all my friends have their girlfriends as well as their families…I just don't want to alone," he finished gruffly.

All Sierra could do was stare, wide eyed as she witnessed Sirius baring all, like he had done only once before. She still gaped as her mind travelled a million miles a second. Sirius's proposition was leaving her extremely giddy.

Sierra slowly began to bridge the distance between herself and Sirius and was all to aware of him watching her out of the corner of his eye.

Sierra managed to lightly hit Sirius's upper arm. "God why do you never let me explain myself?" She asked, slightly amused at his confusion. Sierra then sighed. "Sorry if I sounded like I was making fun of you…" Sirius's posture still remained guarded but She carried on, "I was just shocked that's all…I mean to be honest I'm surprised you haven't broken up with me yet,"

Sirius turned sharply, looking positively horrified. "What an earth made you think I would do that?"

Sierra ran her fingers up and down her neck. A gesture Sirius had come to know well. It meant that she was nervous.

Sierra just shrugged, unable to look her boyfriend in the eye. "I don't know. I just thought that you would've got bored of me or that my annoying habits were driving you crazy or because we haven't had…" she cut herself off as she touched her heated cheeks.

Padfoot cocked an eyebrow as he studied his girlfriend. He truly was lost for words.

How could someone who seemed so confident feel so insecure?

The marauder drew closer to Sierra until there was only an inch of space between them. Sirius slipped a finger under Sierra's chin and raised her head. He met Sierra's dark, chocolate brown eyes. "I'm defiantly not breaking up with you…" He stated plainly. The small smile on Sierra's perfect lips coupled with the love in her eyes stole Sirius's breath away. He just stared at the girl in front of him for a moment before speaking. "I never want to let you go. I'm the jealous type and I might sound possessive but I want you to be mines and only mines. Forever"

Sirius then drew Sierra into a hug and he felt her breathy giggle against his chest. She grabbed a handful of Sirius's robes and pulled him that much closer. Sirius had to rein in the surge of fire that rose underneath his skin as he felt the soft delicate curves of Sierra's body press up against his stronger form.

Sierra continued to giggle, her thick eyelashes brushing against the apples of her cheeks. "You do sound a little possessive but for some reason it sounds more romantic."

Sirius's chuckled softly as he wrapped his arms around her waist. "Love is blind…"

Sierra grinned up at him. "It sure is."

Sirius wasn't sure how she did it but Sierra managed to give him the confidence to ask her again, for what he really wanted. "So…" Sirius began," Do you want to move In with me?"

After the initial rejection Sirius found himself, once again holding his breath.

Sierra hid her joy as she realized that she hadn't blown her chance. There was no need to think about it this time. She draped her arms around Sirius's shoulders but still remained silent. _I probably shouldn't tease him.._

Sirius knew he shouldn't press Sierra for an answer but he couldn't stop himself, "So?"

Sierra smiled "No."

Sirius's mouth dropped open. "What?" He was so sure that she was going to say yes.

Sierra laughed. "Sirius how can I you live with when you live with the Potters?"

The marauder hit his head. "Oh don't worry about that I'll have to move out now that James is getting married…It wouldn't be right if I stayed" He then grimaced. "I have inherited a house in Grimmauld place…"

Sierra's smile slipped as Sirius mentioned his former home. She shook her head. "I won't have you living in a house with such bad memories…guess we'll just have to find a place."

Sirius eyes bulged. "So…you say yes."

Sierra grinned, wildly. "Yes!" she squeaked.

With a relived sigh Sirius hugged Sierra hard against his chest before kissing her full on the mouth. Only when he was out of breath did Sirius pull away.

Sierra pressed her forehead against Sirius's and stroked his cheek. He closed his eyes against the sensation. "I'll be your family now," She whispered.


	41. Graduation

**Happy valentines day to all**

* * *

The bright blue sky was the ceiling of the Viaduct courtyard and the rectangular open space was surrounded by arches that ran along the four walls. All kinds of fresh blooms had been intricately weaved through the arches as well as fine strands of gold and silver. These decorations provided an explosion of colour. The sun bathed the entire courtyard in light and was quickly heating up the stone. There was no shade to be had apart from the odd cotton cloud that floated by.

The viaduct courtyard had been transformed for the graduation ceremony

A cross shaped pathway separated four square areas of grass, where rows and rows of chairs had been arranged, so that each section held the members of each house. The pathway was outlined by strong oak poles that were connected to each other by ropes of Peruvian lilies.

On the far end of the courtyard and in front of the two checkpoint towers, a platform had been erected. Perhaps for ceremony there was a stool on the stage which the sorting hat occupied and beside this there was a gold stand with the Hogwarts coat of arms engraved onto it. This was the place where Professor Dumbledore was currently delivering his speech. Every Hogwarts professor sat proudly behind him and watched the students that they had educated and nurtured since the age of twelve.

Throughout the headmaster's speech Alice had slowly began to move closer to Frank and at some point their hands had unknowingly intertwined. Frank turned as he felt a pressure against his side and saw Alice leaning into him. She was smiling broadly as she listened intently. Frank looked upon her face and felt a jolt in his heart, even more so when his gaze moved to their joined hands and the engagement ring that Alice wore with pride. It shimmered in the sunlight.

Alice felt Frank's eyes on her. She tried to ignore him but couldn't. Therefore with a shyness that Alice thought that she had lost (after all she had been with Frank for so long) she faced him.

Frank started at being caught admiring her but he quickly recovered. He just offered Alice a smile before turning his attention back to Professor Dumbledore; Blushing Alice did the same.

However the couple soon became distracted, this time by the sounds of hushed whispers and footsteps. Alice turned in her seat to see Sirius and Sierra, apologizing as they squeezed into the only frees seats that were in the middle of the last row. They hurriedly sat down and tried to regain their breath. "_They must have run here?" Alice thought to herself._

Luckily Sirius and Sierra's late entrance went unnoticed by Professor Dumbledore but more importantly Professor McGonagall. After all she had specifically stated to every Gryffindor to be on time for she would not allow anyone to bring shame on her house.

"….I wish you the best and good luck to you all, on your future endeavors." The headmaster finished. After this each row was called to the platform where one at a time the students received their graduation certificates from Professor Dumbledore.

The Gryffindor's were last and Alice waited eagerly at the side of the stage as Jane went first. She clapped loudly for her cousin. When it came to Alice's turn she tired not think about falling over as she made her way to the headmaster. She could see his gentle smile underneath his wispy beard. With shaky hands Alice took a hold of the scroll of parchment that Dumbledore held out for her.

"Have more belief in yourself Mrs- soon- to- be - Longbottom," he whispered before letting go of the scroll. Alice's eyes grew wide at the comment but she was ushered off the stage before she could respond.

The ceremony was drawing to a close and so everyone stood up. Alice and Frank moved towards their group of friends. The girls hugged each other whilst the guys exchanged firm handshakes. A loud buzz of excitement rippled through the courtyard as every student took off their graduation hats. Everyone shouted in unison "1, 2…3!"

"WOOOOO!" Alice cheered along with the rest of her classmates as they launched their hats into the air.

()()()()()()()

Reluctantly the seventh years made their way back to the castle to pack up their belongings before the end of year feast.

Alice couldn't help but notice how lily seemed a little dejected.

"Are you okay?" Alice asked as they walked up the grassy hill.

Lily fretted her lower lip as she turned around to make sure that they were alone. James and the rest of the boys were a little further behind them so it was safe to speak.

"I just feel like I should talk to Severus…to make amends," Lily finally divulged in a whisper. However she seemed to regret speaking the truth as Alice's eyebrows rose.

"Really?" Alice asked in astonishment. "If anything he should be making amends not you and not the other way ar….oh no…."

Lily turned when she heard Alice groan and her eyes went wide.

James had left his gang and was waiting for Severus, who was trailing right behind the crowd.

Sirius, Remus, Frank and Peter quickly reached the girls and asked them what the hell was going on. They just shook their heads as they gaped and all six of them stood still on top of the hill. They had a really good vantage point, to witness this more than outlandish scene. Everyone held their breath as they had no idea what was about to unfold.

James tried to ignore the stares he was getting from Lily and his friends, all that distance away. He had told them that he would catch up with them and was hoping that they would leave….no such luck though.

Severus was on guard as he approached his sworn enemy and was about to walk past when James blocked his way.

"Look…" the Gyffindor started, somewhat awkwardly.

Severus's eyes narrowed. "What the hell do you want?" he spat.

James made a hand gesture as if to say "why the hell I'm a bothering?"

"I just wanted to say…" James paused for a long time. "Sorry," he added finally. It was defiantly painful for him to say.

Snape scoffed. "Oh please you think a sorry is going to cut it after years of harassment."

James shrugged his shoulders carelessly. "It's a start…" When Snape didn't say anything he continued. "Look I can't take back the times I was an ass but I'm man enough to admit that I have done wrong."

The Slytherin was hardly moved and James sighed

"Fine can we at least call a truce?" James asked as he extended out his hand.

Snape just couldn't seem to hide his disgust and knocked it away. "You just want to make me look like the bad guy," he sneered as his eyes flicked to Lily. He could see her watching them intently.

James rolled his eyes. "I've grown up Snape…maybe you should too." The Gryffindor could see Snape clutching his wand tightly. It was hidden under his robes and probably was pointing straight at James.

"I'll hate your guts forever!" Snape declared.

James narrowed his eyes. "Don't hate me just because you blew your chance and I didn't"

Snape's teeth were gritted together. "What's that supposed to mean?" he asked in his characteristically acidic tone.

James stared him down, before walking away. "It was never about me Severus…" James shouted over his shoulder. He didn't get to see Snape jump back at the use of his name. "It was always about Lily."

Alice expelled the air that she had been holding in her lungs as she saw James walk away. She was sure that he and Snape were going to have some sort of throw down. The head boy did not speak as he reached his friends and just smiled before wrapping his arm around Lily's waist. He dodged his girlfriend's questions with every step he took.

Alice still watched a very angry looking Snape charge in the opposite direction from the castle. However she soon felt someone tugging at her hand.

"Come on you lets go," Frank urged as Alice continued to ignore his attempts to get her inside.

She gave her boyfriend a sweet smile. "Look Frank I was thinking…"

He however held up his hand. "I know what you're going to say and NO don't get involved."

Alice huffed. "How did you know I would?"

Frank shook his head. "Because you always try and help."

She just pressed her hands together. "Come on Frank please let me. Lily really wants to sort things out with Severus."

Frank seemed unimpressed by this and frowned. "Alice It's not going to happen. He's a jerk and I don't want you or Lily to get hurt."

His words did not deter Alice and she just pouted.

Frank sighed before smiling. "Fine…What's your plan then?"

She beamed. "How did…"

Frank cut in. "Know that you were going to do something despite me advising you not to…you have a habit."

()()()()()()

After searching for a whole hour Alice found the elusive Snape on the viaduct and gingerly approached him. She really wasn't sure why she was doing this…

Alice cleared her throat to see Severus turn around, his poker face slipping as surprise took him over.

The Gryffindor smiled. "Hi."

He seemed completely perplexed and he just stared at her. "…Hi"

_Well that's good, at least he's speaking_. Alice decided to dive right in there because she knew that Severus would prefer it this way. "Okay even though you've threatened me with your wand in the past…"

Severus actually cringed at the memory. "Sorry," he mumbled. Alice stared into the bottomless pits of his dark eyes and there may have been genuine remorse there, which if there was surprised her.

Alice shook her head. "It was my fault as well…I did goad you" Alice then watched as Snape's brows drew together. He had no what to do with her apology.

"It's the end of the year and I just think it would be best if…" Alice hesitated for a moment, knowing that this was a touchy subject. "you made up with Lily."

Severus's posture seemed to relax ever so slightly and Alice could tell that she had hit a nerve therefore she continued on. "You know that everyone is going their separate ways and it would best if silly school grudges and fights were put to bed."

The Slytherin's shoulders hunched somewhat and Alice watched on as an internal battle ragged. She was getting through too him…she knew it.

Alice then gently smiled at Severus, whose lips were pressed together in a straight line. She knew that this was the best display of happiness she was going to get out of him.

"Lily would really appreciate it…. and I'm sure she would want you to be at her wedding…"Suddenly Snape's posture became rigid and unyielding.

His eyes turned into slits as his nostrils flared. "What! To who?" he shouted

Alice then backed away from Severus as he advanced on her. She mentally slapped herself…_I was so close_. The witch held up her hands. "I…I thought you already knew…everyone does…"

His jaw was clenched as his teeth ground together. "It's Potter isn't it?" he spat. Alice didn't know what to say because even though the answer was so obvious she knew Severus didn't want to hear it.

Alice stood her ground despite the fact that Snape was practically seeing red. She was wondering if he would threaten her again, after all he looked like he would.

Alice had now reached the point where she was tired of Snape's pathetic nature. "Of course! Who did you expect?" Her eyes narrowed as Severus glared at her in return. "You know what I'm sick and tired of giving you the benefit of the doubt…" Alice had no idea why she was shouting. "I thought you would at least man up and apologize to Lily, someone who use to be your best friend!" Alice could feel her chest heaving from pure frustration as her fists clenched into balls. "You're going to end up living a sad and lonely life if you can never be happy for other people."

Severus just spun around and began to march away but Alice continued to yell. "Yeah that's right do what you do best, you coward! Believe me when I say that you'll regret this!"

All Alice could do was watch as the billowing black cloak disappeared and with a pop Snape apparated- Probably never to be seen again.

"You're an ARSE Snape!" Alice screamed out.


End file.
